Former Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has revealed that he had a strained relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo at times during his reign, saying the striker "let the team down" during his second stint at Old Trafford. Ten Hag, who took over at the club in 2022 and was dismissed in 2024, said he had planned with Ronaldo before joining, having flown to Portugal to discuss his aims for the club.
In an interview with The Athletic, Ten Hag claimed that Ronaldo pulled out of training sessions and did not raise his heart rate to the required level. He also said Ronaldo did not complete all the scheduled laps United players were made to run after a 4-0 loss to Brentford. "Obviously, he's one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision," Ten Hag said. He added that he had confronted Ronaldo many times and that the forward was not capable of working for the team, neither in possession nor out of possession.
Ronaldo returned to United in 2021, but the relationship fell apart just over a year later when he publicly criticised the club's hierarchy and management, leading to a mutual termination of his contract. Ten Hag also said he felt United "wasn't the highest priority" for some players.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo was suspended for 30 days by the Portuguese Football Federation after walking out on the national team during the international break, and was fined €255 ($285.90). He has said he is available to play for Portugal should he be called up again. Ten Hag is now technical director of Dutch side Twente.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing