Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister has fuelled speculation by liking a post on Instagram suggesting the forward is not injured and missed the Manchester derby for different reasons.
A hip flexor injury saw the 37-year-old ruled out of Sunday's Manchester showdown and decided to fly out to Portugal rather than support his side as they suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat.
His absence has come under intense speculation after his sister, Katia Aveiro, liked an Instagram post before the match which claimed Ronaldo that was not injured and had been dropped by boss Ralf Rangnick.
The post, which was published by a popular Ronaldo fan account, read: 'Cristiano Ronaldo is not injured and he is not ill.