Manchester United welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo for ‘must-win’ clash against Tottenham

Ralf Rangnick says Cristiano Ronaldo will return for what the Manchester United interim manager admits is a must-win match against Tottenham in the top-four race.

This has been another difficult week around Old Trafford after Premier League leaders Manchester City dished out a humbling 4-1 derby defeat at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday – a match Ronaldo missed through injury.

United started well enough against their neighbours only to fall away embarrassingly in a meek second-half display, which has led to external criticism and plenty of introspection.

The loss leaves the fifth-placed Red Devils a point behind Arsenal – who have three games in hand – in the final Champions League berth, heightening the importance of seventh-placed Spurs’ trip to Old Trafford on Saturday evening.

“We are fully aware about the importance of tomorrow’s game and at the same time the game on Tuesday (against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League),” Rangnick said

“The most important game is the game tomorrow against Tottenham. We have to win that game. We are fully aware of that.

“We had a good week of training, the players are also fully aware about the importance of the game. The focus is there, the togetherness was there in the training sessions.”

The commitment of United’s players was questioned in the wake of the City loss, as well as togetherness on and off the field.

The most important game is the game tomorrow against Tottenham. We have to win that game. We are fully aware of that.

Star man Ronaldo’s decision to reportedly fly back to Portugal after suffering a hip flexor issue rather than stay in Manchester to support his team-mates underlined that as a potential issue, but Rangnick downplayed it.

“Well, I don’t know, I haven’t