Dimitar Berbatov fires back at Cristiano Ronaldo critics in strong defence of Man United star

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that it is unlikely that Edinson Cavani will be fit enough to start Sunday's Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester United fans are split on whether they would be happy with Ralf Rangnick as the club’s permanent manager.

Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Fred are both celebrating their 28th birthday today, so we decided to look at how different things could have been for the duo.Unfortunately, they will have to temper their birthday festivities as they have a tumultuous away clash with Manchester City on the horizon.As well as birthdays, Maguire and Fred also share a similar story in which both stars allegedly rejected the advances of the reigning champions, opting to join United instead. Jose Mourinho beat the Citizens to the £53m signature of Fred, while United managed to sway Maguire over to United in an £85m deal.But as Ralf Rangnick’s side travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Pep Guardiola technicians at in a match neither side can afford to lose, Mirror Football takes a look at seven United players who snubbed City to walk through the doors of Old Trafford.

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has been warned that he must consider the "long-term impact" of continuing to select Harry Maguire.Rangnick is bidding to keep United's top-four hopes alive this weekend when they clash with Manchester City.United's bitter rivals are well-placed in their bid to retain their Premier League crown - where they currently boast a 19-point lead over United at the summit of the standings.While Pep Guardiola's side are seemingly romping their way to another title, United have struggled during the interim reign of Rangnick.And a number of players have been repeatedly slammed for their poor form for United this season - including Maguire.Despite a clamour for Maguire to be dropped, Rangnick has persisted with his under-fire captain.However, with Manchester City in rampant form, there's every chance that the reigning champions could run riot at the Etihad on Sunday if United's defence aren't at their best.And that's prompted former Manchester City star Joleon Lescott to warn the German that he has to consider Maguire's long-term belief if he is determined to keep selecting him. "Another huge call Rangnick must make is whether to start Harry Maguire," Lescott told LiveScore.

Here are your Manchester City evening headlines for Friday, March 4.

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott believes Ralf Rangnick's gameplan for Manchester United's trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday should dictate whether or not club captain Harry Maguire makes the starting line-up.

Former England midfielder John Barnes believes Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford would be a "good fit" for Liverpool - but has rubbished the possibility of him sealing a move to Anfield.

On-loan Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial has been left out of Sevilla's 23-man squad for Friday evening's La Liga clash with Alaves, the Spanish club has confirmed.

Bernardo Silva successfully told his Man City teammates how to stop Cristiano Ronaldo before November's Manchester derby between the two sides.

Manchester United have reportedly made contact with Erik ten Hag over his availability to take over as manager at the end of the season.The Red Devils are currently considering their options as they look for current interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s replacement in the summer.And it appears Ajax boss Ten Hag is United’s primary target, with the club reaching out to his representatives in a bid to determine whether he would be interested in the job.The Dutchman has been considered by a number of different clubs in recent seasons, including Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but remained committed to his Ajax project.The tactician generated interest after winning the Eredivisie with Ajax and propelling the side to their first Champions League semi-final since 1997.Tottenham especially came close to securing Ten Hag’s services last summer following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.The Spurs hierarchy were reportedly left unimpressed with the 52-year-old when he was interviewed, given his weak grasp of the English language and his desire to only bring one member of staff with him to the club.But that appears to have changed with The Daily Mail claiming this week that Ten Hag is currently working on improving his English.Do you think Ten Hag is a good appointment for Man United? Let us know in the comments section.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.

Victor Lindelof "knows" Manchester United have the quality to beat Manchester City this weekend.

Manchester United star, whose full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, was born in Funchal, the capital of Portuguese island Madeira. He is the fourth child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Viveiros da Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro, who were both keen on Reagan.Reagan went into politics with the Republican Party after a career in film and television and it appears that is where Ronaldo owes his now-famous name to.

Around two decades ago, Ralf Rangnick faced Jurgen Klopp while in charge of Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga. The two coaches weren't personal friends at the time, but their coaching styles appeared to be similar.

Manchester United are reportedly interested in Benfica star Darwin Nunez but they have been told they will need to splash out in excess of €60m (£50m) if they want to sign him.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has sent a message to Manchester City ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend.

Manchester United flop Bebe produced one of the finest moments of his career with a stunning Copa del Rey free-kick on Thursday evening which channelled his inner Cristiano Ronaldo.The 31-year-old, who joined United back in 2010 despite Sir Alex Ferguson having never seen him play, joined Rayo Vallecano for a second time back in 2018.Having scored seven goals last season - he broke his goalless streak after 27 matches this campaign with one of the goals of the season.With the tie sitting in the favour of Real Betis with just 10 minutes remaining of the semi-final second leg, the former Portugal youth international stepped up to take a free-kick from over 35 yards.Bebe put his head down and struck the ball with perfection following a focused run-up, drilling the ball over the wall and past Claudio Bravo on the goalkeeper's side.The forward pointed to the crowd with purpose as he was swamped by his colleagues having made the scoreline 1-0 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate.However, disaster would strike for the away side as Betis found an equaliser through Broja Inglesias - which would see them go through to the final to face Valencia in April.Having joined United from Vitoria de Guimaraes back in 2010, Bebe would only play seven times for the club over the next four years - but did manage two goals.Was Sir Alex too harsh on Bebe? Give us your thoughts in the comments sectionHe told the Mail of the move back in 2015: "It was a shock for me, too."For the week leading up to it, I thought the whole thing was a joke. I thought they were leading me on."Then I realised it was serious.

Hannibal Mejbri hopes he can learn from Cristiano Ronaldo as he eyes a first-team breakthrough at Manchester United.

Pep Guardiola has previously descried Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford as ‘perfect’ and defended Paul Pogba, as his Manchester City side gear up for this weekend's derby.

Two United fans charged onto the pitch at Old Trafford when Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning goal after becoming ‘overcome with emotion’.

Newly-appointed Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch revealed that Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick sent him a message after his arrival at Elland Road.

Mikael Silvestre believes former side Manchester United should consider a move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde this summer. United are set to back their next permanent manager heavily in the next transfer window, with the signing of a new centre-back a possibility at the end of the season.