Ten Hag claims Cristiano Ronaldo ‘let Man United down’

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of letting the team down during their time together at Old Trafford, claiming the club had planned around the Portuguese forward, but he failed to meet expectations.

Ten Hag’s relationship with Ronaldo deteriorated shortly after the Dutchman took charge in 2022. The Portuguese striker refused to come on as a substitute during United’s Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur in October that year.

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Ronaldo was subsequently dropped for the match against Chelsea, prompting an explosive television interview in which he said he felt betrayed by Manchester United and did not respect Ten Hag.

His contract was mutually terminated the following month, bringing his second spell at Old Trafford to an end.

“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag told The Athletic.

“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 and keep the players I admire in.”

Ten Hag also claimed Cristiano Ronaldo failed to complete training sessions and fitness exercises after United’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford early in the manager’s reign.

“I confronted him with this. Many times I say, ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you to the right position, but if you can’t bring yourself in the box, you can’t score.’ He was not capable of doing this,” Ten Hag said.

He rejected suggestions that he had expected Ronaldo to press opponents beyond his physical capabilities.

“It’s the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing; he’s exhausted. But he couldn’t.
“He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was that he didn’t prepare himself,” Ten Hag added.