Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, in a major interview with The Athletic as cited by Sport RBC.UA, has opened up about his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time since leaving the club. The Dutchman did not mince words: according to him, the Portuguese forward "let the team down and let me down," even though the coach initially counted on the striker and even flew to Portugal personally to discuss plans for the season before moving to Manchester.
Great reputation and work demands
Ten Hag emphasized that he always respected Ronaldo as one of the greatest footballers in history, but as a manager, he was obliged to make rational decisions in the best interests of the squad. "I told him that directly. I repeated it many times: 'Ronnie, everyone tries to create conditions for you to be in the right place, but if you yourself cannot get into the penalty area, you won't score.' He was simply incapable of that," Vesti.kz quotes the specialist as saying. According to the manager, the issue was not the forward's age, but his physical fitness and attitude toward the training process.
Physical fitness as the root of the conflict
Ten Hag dismissed the notion that he demanded excessive pressing from the then-37-year-old forward, which the player was physically unable to execute. "He didn't run with the ball or without it. The reason was that he hadn't prepared himself properly. Every top team must support its stars, but the stars must also work for the team," the coach explained. To illustrate, he recalled an episode after the crushing 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022: after scheduling an extra running session, he discovered that out of three penalty laps, Ronaldo had only run two, and, according to the manager, urged his teammates to save their energy during training.
Suspension, explosive interview, and departure
The culmination of the conflict came in October 2022 when Ten Hag suspended the Portuguese from the Premier League match against Chelsea after Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham three days prior. In November, the forward gave an explosive interview stating he felt betrayed by the club and did not respect the manager. Ultimately, the parties agreed to terminate their cooperation, and Ronaldo left Manchester United midway through the 2022/23 season. During his time under Ten Hag, he made 16 appearances and scored three goals.
Transfer ambitions and the club's main problems
In the same interview, Ten Hag revealed his transfer priorities: players he wanted to sign included Frenkie de Jong, Harry Kane, and Declan Rice. He also admitted that he opposed the sale of Scott McTominay to Napoli in August 2024. Speaking about the club as a whole, the manager noted systemic issues with squad assembly in central defense and midfield, but named the lack of goals as the team's main affliction throughout his three years — a problem that, according to Sport RBC.UA, has plagued Manchester United for more than one season.
