Should Man United play Cristiano Ronaldo against Liverpool? Wayne Rooney makes big claim

Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the news since he expressed his desire to leave Manchester United for a shot at Champions League glory. Following the Red Devils' disastrous start to their Premier League campaign under new manager Erik ten Hag, several questions have been raised over the Portuguese icon's game-time given the circumstances. Ahead of United's clash against arch-rivals Liverpool, the one question that is doing the rounds is whether the 37-year-old should feature in the Old Trafford clash and club legend Wayne Rooney has shared his view.

Manchester United and Liverpool will be looking to register their first win this season when they face each other on Monday. Erik ten Hag has been facing a lot of heat from supporters, who have also called for Old Trafford to be emptied in protest against the Glazers family that have plunged a financially healthy club into over 600 million pounds of debt.

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Ahead of the much-anticipated clash, club legend Wayne Rooney has made a massive claim over his former United teammate Ronaldo's participation. The Englishman has also sent a message to Ten Hag, asking the Dutchman to breathe in more energy on the pitch.

The former England striker said, as quoted by UtdDistrict, "Against Liverpool, I wouldn't play Cristiano Ronaldo, and I wouldn't play Marcus Rashford. If I was in Erik ten Hag's position, my main concern would be getting energy on the pitch."

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During Manchester United's dismal 4-0 loss to Brentford on August 13, Rooney alleged that Ronaldo did not appear match-ready. "# mufc's failure to recruit a No 9 means they relied on Ronaldo against Brentford, even though he hadn't trained a lot with the team. He looked like he needs time to get match fit," he said.

Ten Hag's time at Old Trafford got off to the worst possible start with two losses in the first two league games. Under the Dutchman, the Red Devils displayed some great preseason play, but they appeared to be entirely out of sync.

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Anthony Martial's recovery from a hamstring injury has given Ten Hag hope, but the Frenchman is most likely to start on the bench. Rashford's prospects of being a benchwarmer are also slim because Manchester United does not have many experienced options on the wings. After a disastrous start to the season, the Dutch manager will undoubtedly demand a robust response regardless of the team he selects against Liverpool.