This season, Ronaldo has started in the majority of Manchester United's games, and his goals have been crucial to the club's success.

Ronaldo's absence from United's starting lineup against Chelsea a bold call made by Carrick has perplexed fans.

Ronaldo has 10 made goals and two assists in 15 games across all competitions, but some of those goals, such as his late goals against Villarreal and Atalanta in the Champions League, have been crucial in determining the match's fate.

After the final whistle, which saw the Red Devils earn a point against Chelsea, the star marched straight down the tunnel. The famous player was in no mood for handshakes or cheers from the crowd as he walked away from the pitch, similar to the incident that happened in Old Trafford last month.

When asked about the reason of the benching, Carrick stated, "A few tweaks and changes from the other night, to change things up a bit. Cristiano is probably our standout name, but it's just game plan, ideas. I had a good chat with Cristiano actually, he was great, and we've decided to go like that today. Really looking forward to the game."

Jaime Carrager claims that Michael Carrick 'had to drop' Cristiano Ronaldo to prove that he isn't the same as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

He replaced Solskjaer last week when he got sacked. "I think he had to do that to be honest. Even when you're part of a coaching set up, everyone has different views on the team or how the team should be set up.It was really interesting to see what he did with Bruno Fernandes, bringing Anthony Martial back in, what he did with Martial and Ronaldo swapping positions at different times.

He did put his own stamp on that. I think he had to do that because he didn't want to look like Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer ]'s guy doing exactly the same. Things haven't been going well, we know that. He will be pleased how that game [Villarreal] went." the former England defender said pre match.

However, fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville didn't agree with Carrager. On Sunday, he took to social media to explain why he believes Ralf Rangnick chose the team. He argued that it would benefit Rangnick more than Carrick and that there has been talks about Ronaldo finding difficulty to get into the Germans after he moved to Manchester.