Ten Hag Accuses Ronaldo of Letting Him and Man Utd Down

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo "let the team and let me down" during his time at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag spoke to The Athletic about the Portugal forward, who was in his second spell at United when the Dutchman took charge in the summer of 2022. 

"He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him," Ten Hag said. "I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United."

He still showed respect for the player. "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."

The row boiled over in October 2022. Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham, and Ten Hag dropped him for the next league game, away at Chelsea three days later. Ronaldo then gave an interview in November saying he felt "betrayed" by United, did not respect Ten Hag and was being pushed out. His exit was later described as "mutually agreed". He had scored just three goals in 16 games under Ten Hag before leaving during the 2022-23 season.

Ten Hag said the problem was Ronaldo's work rate, and he rejected the idea that he had asked too much of him. 

"It's the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he's exhausted," he said. "But he couldn't. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn't prepare himself."

He believes stars must pull their weight. "Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team. He was telling the players, 'save your legs at the training'. 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."

The interview comes as Ronaldo has been given a 30-day suspension and a 255 euro (£215) fine by the Portuguese Football Federation for leaving his country's camp last month.

Ronaldo was 36 when he came back to United from Juventus in 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ten Hag was sacked in October 2024, having won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

He also spoke about his wider time at the club. He said he wanted to sign Frenkie de Jong, Harry Kane and Declan Rice, and that he was against selling Scott McTominay to Napoli in August 2024. 

"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," he said.