Ralf Rangnick Reveals Why Cristiano Ronaldo Missed FA Cup Clash vs Aston Villa

• Cristiano Ronaldo was among key Man United players who missed the side's FA Cup win over Aston Villa
• It has since emerged the forward injured his hip during training, thus ruling him out of action
• Scott McTominay scored United's solitary goal that fired the Red Devils to the fourth round of the competition

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently nursing a hip injury that saw him dropped from the squad that faced Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

Man United were without their top marksman as they secured a 1-0 hard-fought win over Steven Gerrard's men in the third round clash of the tournament staged at Old Trafford on Monday night, January 10.

United boss Ralf Rangnick has now revealed the Portuguese forward suffered a knock and decided not to risk him for the encounter.

While the extent of the injury remains unclear, Rangnick suggested the United icon should be back in contention soon as the injury is not "serious."

Mikel Arteta Demands Arsenal Flops Apologise After Shock FA Cup Elimination

Football

"I spoke with Cristiano yesterday before training, he told me that he had some problems for the last couple of days, some minor problems," Rangnick divulged.

"In the end we decided to not take any risks in a cup game that could easily last 120 minutes," he added.

Ronaldo's last appearance for the Red Devils was against Wolves when he captained the side to a 1-0 loss at home.

Meanwhile, his absence against Villa may not have been missed as United secured a narrow win to qualify for the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Scott McTominay headed home the solitary goal inside eight minutes of action to secure his side a date with Championship side, Middleborough, in the next round of the tournament.

Arsenal eliminated from FA Cup

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Premier League giants, Arsenal, have suffered an early exit from the FA Cup following their 1-0 disappointing loss against Nottingham Forest.

Kenyan Striker Features Against Tottenham Hotspur in The FA Cup

Football

Lewis Grabban was Nottingham's match hero as his solitary goal in the second half of the match fired the Championship side to the next round of the competition.

The Sunday, January 9, third-round tie staged at City Ground saw Mikel Arteta heavily rotate his squad, with Charlie Patino, Eddie Nketiah, and Sambi Lokonga all starting.