Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville debate over Cristiano Ronaldo and Wout Weghorst at Man United

Gary Neville has provided an explanation as to why Wout Weghorst is being favored over Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United’s starting lineup.

In a recent Sky Sports debate, Jamie Carragher and Neville had conflicting opinions on who should be the club’s No. 9 if Ronaldo was competing against Weghorst for the position.

Ronaldo had left United earlier in the season after being sidelined by manager Erik ten Hag, who was left with a gap to fill in the final third.

Despite his status as a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo struggled to produce his best form upon his return to United, and was often benched due to his underwhelming overall contribution to the team. 

As a result, United acquired Weghorst on loan due to budget constraints, and Neville cited statistics indicating that the team performs better and scores more goals with Weghorst in the lineup. 

Despite only scoring twice, Weghorst continues to be selected on a regular basis.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “It wasn’t working at the end, he’s left, that was a provocative (stats) chart, but it is right and shows why Ten Hag is picking Weghorst.”

Carragher immediately hit back: “You said they shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath, you put it up!” 

The former Liverpool man then put his colleague on the spot,demanding an answer asking who he’d pick.

Neville, after some thought, said: “I don’t know, I don’t know who I’d pick. I think you’d move it from game to game, sometimes I’d pick Ronaldo, sometimes I’d pick Weghorst.” 

“If I was playing at home, I’d play Ronaldo, if I was away from home, I’d probably pick Weghorst.”