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Manchester United have confirmed a fan-led minutes’ applause will be held during Tuesday’s Premier League match with Liverpool after Cristiano Ronaldo announced the loss of his son.
The United striker and his partner Georgina Rodriguez were expecting twins, but Ronaldo confirmed in a social media post on Monday that his baby boy had passed away.
In the same post, he said the child’s sister had survived.
While a club statement had already revealed the 37-year-old would not feature at Anfield, it has now been announced that fans of the two rival clubs will unite in a show of support for Ronaldo and his family seven minutes into the match, a nod to the forward’s iconic number.
Both teams will also wear black armbands throughout the fixture, with Liverpool players joining Ronaldo’s United team-mates in paying tribute.
“Fans of Manchester United and Liverpool will unite in support of Cristiano Ronaldo and his family at tonight’s match between the two teams at Anfield,” read a statement from the Red Devils on Tuesday.
“A fan-led minute’s applause will be held in the seventh minute of the game in a tribute to the Portuguese striker and his partner Georgina, after they announced the loss of their newborn baby boy on Monday.
“Messages of support from across the football world are continually flooding in on social media and everybody’s thoughts are with the Ronaldo family right now.
“While United and Liverpool share English football’s greatest rivalry, there is a deep-rooted respect held between the two clubs and that will be highlighted by the minute’s applause, which was initially suggested by fans of the Merseyside team.
“Ralf Rangnick’s United squad led a request to wear black armbands at Anfield and that has been reciprocated by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side.”
