Cristiano Ronaldo’s second spell at Manchester United ended with a public confrontation, an explosive interview and a departure that neither side appeared willing to avoid. Nearly four years later, Erik ten Hag has offered a detailed account of what he says went wrong behind the scenes, including training sessions, fitness standards and the moment he decided that admiration for a great player could not outweigh his responsibilities to the team.
Ten Hag says Ronaldo let Manchester United down
Ten Hag joined Manchester United in April 2022, inheriting Ronaldo, who had returned to Old Trafford in August 2021 after spells at Real Madrid and Juventus. The Dutch manager had travelled to Portugal to discuss his plans with the forward before taking charge, and says he approached the relationship with considerable respect.“I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United. 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,” Ten Hag told The Athletic.That decision, he said, became necessary because Ronaldo was not meeting the physical and tactical demands expected of him. Ten Hag alleged that the forward pulled out of training sessions, failed to raise his heart rate sufficiently when he did participate and completed only two of the three infamous scheduled laps Ten Hag made his players do after they lost 4-0 at Brentford in August 2022.“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag said.
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The manager also disputed the idea that he expected Ronaldo to press opponents until he was exhausted, saying the issue was the forward’s preparation and ability to get into scoring positions.“I confronted him with this,” Ten Hag said. “Many times I say, ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can’t bring yourself in the box, you can’t score’. He was not capable to do this. 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 said elite players still had to meet collective expectations, even when a team was built around their ability.“Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team,” he said.He also claimed Ronaldo had encouraged teammates to conserve their energy during training, a practice Ten Hag considered appropriate only once players had reached the required fitness level.“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 your legs. But first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels.”
Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo with manager Erik ten Hag. (Reuters Photo)
The dispute became public after Ronaldo refused to come on
The disagreement had already spilled into public view in October 2022, when Ronaldo refused to enter as a substitute during United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham. Ten Hag subsequently left him out of the squad for the match against Chelsea and required him to train away from the first team.
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Ronaldo responded with an interview with Piers Morgan, in which he said he felt betrayed by the club and had lost respect for Ten Hag. His remarks made the breakdown unmistakable, while his departure for Saudi club Al-Nassr followed at the end of 2022.“I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t have respect for me,” Ronaldo said in the interview.“If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you. Not only the manager, but the other two or three guys who are around the club.”He continued: “I felt betrayed. I don’t care; people should listen to the truth. Yes, I felt betrayed. I feel that some people didn’t want me here, not only this year but last season too.”Ronaldo also said he remained attached to United and wanted the club to recover its former standing.“I was and still am very happy to be here,” he said. “For me, the most important thing is to try to win the games and try to win some championship or some cup but I believe that Manchester will be where they belong. As I say before, sometimes it takes time but I still believe.”
Ten Hag’s United tenure ended, but his explanation remains
Ten Hag spent two and a half years in charge at Old Trafford, winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup before being dismissed in October 2024, with United 14th in the Premier League. His account of the Ronaldo dispute comes as the forward’s earlier comments have resurfaced, renewing attention on a conflict that shaped the manager’s time at the club.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag celebrates with the trophy after winning the FA Cup REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
After leaving United, Ten Hag had a brief, three-game spell as Bayer Leverkusen head coach before returning to the Netherlands. He is now technical director at FC Twente, his boyhood club, under a contract running until mid-2028.Ronaldo, meanwhile, left Manchester United for Al-Nassr in late 2022 and continues his career in Saudi Arabia. The two men’s accounts differ sharply in emphasis: Ronaldo described feeling betrayed and disrespected, while Ten Hag says the central problem was the forward’s preparation and unwillingness to meet the team’s demands. Neither explanation erases the public rupture that brought their relationship, and Ronaldo’s second United spell, to an abrupt end.
