Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher shockingly snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo in favour of Mason Greenwood in his Manchester United and Liverpool combined XI.
Ronaldo left Juventus in the summer and returned to Old Trafford, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner having an immediate impact at United in his second spell.
The 36-year-old Portuguese forward has scored five times in seven appearances across all competitions for United.
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Ronaldo has scored in both Champions League matches against Villarreal and Young Boys and against Newcastle (twice) and West Ham in the Premier League.
However, the United legend has failed to find the back of the net in his side’s last three Premier League matches against Aston Villa, Everton and Leicester City.
Speaking ahead of United’s clash with Liverpool on Sunday, Sky Sports pundits Carragher and Gary Neville revealed their combined XIs on Monday Night Football.
Only two United players made Carragher’s combined XI, with the Liverpool legend naming Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes in his team.
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“I'm a massive Greenwood fan, I think he's a superstar, I really do,” he said.
“How can you not put Ronaldo in, in terms of what he's done, legendary figure? I'm talking about actually right now, today, I'd have to have Greenwood.
“[Roberto] Firmino got a hat-trick for Liverpool at the weekend and has done really well but going back last season, and this season Greenwood is a superstar and I had to find a place for him in there.”
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When he was later asked if Ronaldo would make the Liverpool team, Carragher doubled down and simply responded: “No.”
Carragher also left United skipper Harry Maguire out of his combined XI in favour of Joel Matip, who was rated as potentially “better” than Virgil van Dijk this season.
“I'm a huge Harry Maguire fan, he's a really good player, it's got nothing to do with his performance at the weekend [at Leicester] -- but I actually think Matip has possibly been better than Virgil van Dijk this season,” he explained.
“He's a player that goes under the radar because he's not a huge name, he came in on a free transfer, he's been there a long time under Jurgen Klopp, he's had injury problems.
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“But every time he plays he's top class, he really is and that partnership with Virgil van Dijk is really good at the minute, it is.
“The performances he's given, certainly in the last 18 months, he was the centre-back who played in the Champions League final for Liverpool.
“He's played in so many big games, this season he's almost been an ever-present, he's been fantastic.”
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Neville, unlike Carragher, selected Maguire for the backline ahead of Matip and picked Ronaldo ahead of Greenwood.
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However, the United legend surprisingly left Bruno Fernandes out and selected Roberto Firmino to play behind Ronaldo.
“It wasn't easy but just the idea he's one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, and with Salah and Mane I thought he should be up front,” he said.
“You would have him up front. In that team, with Fabinho and [Jordan] Henderson behind, with Firmino behind and those two out wide he would be absolutely devastating.”
United will host Liverpool on Sunday at Old Trafford, with kick-off scheduled for 4:30pm UK time.
Featured Image Credit: PA/TwitterTopics: Jamie Carragher, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Liverpool, Premier League, England, Football
