Erik ten Hag: Cristiano Ronaldo 'let the team and me down'
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo's actions during their time together at Old Trafford were detrimental to the team and himself.
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has asserted that Cristiano Ronaldo "let the team and let me down" during the Dutchman's tenure at the club. Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United from Juventus in 2021 at the age of 36, played under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and subsequently Ten Hag.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Ronaldo scored only three goals in 16 appearances under Ten Hag. The manager commented on Ronaldo's fitness levels, stating, "It's the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he's exhausted. But he couldn't. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn't prepare himself."
Ten Hag emphasized the responsibility of top players, adding, "Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team." He recalled instances where Ronaldo allegedly advised teammates to "save your legs at the training." Ten Hag clarified, "I understand it when you are top fit - you have sessions you can save the legs. But first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels."
This criticism comes as Ronaldo has been suspended for 30 days and fined 255 euros (£215) by the Portuguese Football Federation for leaving his country's international camp last month.
Ten Hag managed Manchester United from 2022 until his sacking in October 2024. During his time, the club won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. He also expressed his managerial intentions, noting his desire to sign Frenkie de Jong, Harry Kane, and Declan Rice, and that he opposed Scott McTominay's transfer to Napoli in August 2024. A persistent issue throughout his three years, according to Ten Hag, was the team's inability to consistently score goals, stating, "I said for the first season, 'centre-half, there's a problem, centre-midfield, there is a problem, and especially I need a strategist, then we need goals'. And that was the biggest issue in all my three years: goals."