Premier League: Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Manchester United against Brighton?

Manchester United are all set to travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton in their next Premier League match on Saturday. The match is scheduled to commence at 10 PM IST on May 7. As things stand in the league table, the Red Devils are currently in sixth place with just 58 points after 36 matches and are five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand.

If Ralf Rangnick's side are to play any kind of European football next season, they would be desperate to get some points from their remaining two matches. And for Manchester United to defeat Brighton and Crystal Palace in their last two games of the season, they will need their best players on the pitch. One of them is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 24 goals across all competitions this season. Will the five-time Ballon d'Or-winner play against Brighton on Saturday?

Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing against Brighton tonight?

With Manchester United's social handle having posted several images of Cristiano Ronaldo, it is likely that the Portuguese international will start against Brighton on Saturday. Considering the number of goals the 37-year-old has scored this season across all competitions, it is fair to say that if it were not for him, the 20-time champions may have already been out of the top four race.

The forward has scored 24 goals across 37 games in all competitions, with 18 of them coming in the Premier League from 29 matches. When it comes to the Premier League golden boot this season, Ronaldo is third on the list, one behind Tottenham winger Son Heung-min and four behind star Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah.

What has Ralf Rangnick said about Cristiano Ronaldo?

While speaking at his press conference, as quoted by Metro, Ralf Rangnick commented on Cristiano Ronaldo's playing position. Amid rumours arising that incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may consider replacing him, the German coach believes that the 37-year-old is not a central striker and that he needs the help of another striker.

"It is also important how Cristiano sees himself and his position. Cristiano is not a central striker. He also does not want to play in that position. In order to not play central, you have to play with two strikers as we did in the last 15 minutes or in my first game against Crystal Palace or the second one against Norwich, and even in the second half against Newcastle," Rangnick said.