Erik ten Hag has told ESPN he does not believe Cristiano Ronaldo was fit or committed enough during their time together at Manchester United. Ten Hag claims Ronaldo could "no longer deliver" on the pitch after leaving Juventus in 2021, stating the Portuguese forward "could no longer bring himself to push through the pain." Ronaldo scored 27 goals in 54 games under Solskjaer and Ten Hag, but the Dutch manager claims the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's physical decline began after his Juventus spell. Ten Hag says Ronaldo was regularly left out of the starting XI due to his inability to press and maintain intensity.
United terminated Ronaldo's contract in November 2022 after he criticized Ten Hag and the club hierarchy in a Piers Morgan interview. Ten Hag, now FC Twente's technical director, was sacked nine games into the 2023-24 season with United 14th in the table. He reflects that top players must work for the team, but Ronaldo simply could not.
Ten Hag adds that Real Madrid recognized when to say goodbye to declining players, contrasting Ronaldo's situation. He maintains Ronaldo is still one of the greats, but his level simply declined. If a player cannot be fit in the Premier League, Ten Hag says, they simply have no chance.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing