Erik ten Hag: Cristiano Ronaldo ‘let Manchester United down’

Erik ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of failing to meet Manchester United’s training standards and putting his own interests ahead of the team during the forward’s second spell at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag, who managed United from 2022 to 2024 and is now technical director of FC Twente, made the comments in an interview with The Athletic. He said Ronaldo struggled with the intensity of training, did not complete all of the running exercises set after the 4-0 defeat by Brentford in August 2022, and needed to improve his positioning in the penalty area.

The Dutchman said his demands were reasonable and rejected the idea that he expected Ronaldo, despite his age and physical limitations, to press excessively. He also claimed the Portugal forward encouraged team-mates to conserve energy during training.

“ The top player has to work for the team,” Ten Hag said, while acknowledging Ronaldo’s status as one of the greatest players in football history. He added that workload management was appropriate for players who had reached the required fitness level, but not for those who still needed to improve their conditioning.

Ten Hag said he repeatedly challenged Ronaldo over his preparation, training habits and movement, believing those issues affected his ability to contribute to the team’s style of play. The manager’s relationship with the forward deteriorated after his appointment in the summer of 2022, with disagreements also emerging over Ronaldo’s role and United’s approach.

The dispute reached a decisive point in October 2022 when Ronaldo walked out during Manchester United’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur. In November, he told an interview that he felt “betrayed” by the club, did not respect Ten Hag and believed United were trying to force him out.

United and Ronaldo then agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent. He scored three goals in 16 appearances under Ten Hag during the 2022-23 campaign.

Ten Hag said Ronaldo was not the only player who made him question the club’s culture, revealing that he sometimes felt Manchester United was not the highest priority for members of the squad. He was dismissed in October 2024 after an inconsistent Premier League record, despite winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and FA Cup in 2024.

The former Ajax manager also said he wanted United to sign Frenkie de Jong, Harry Kane and Declan Rice, while identifying central defence, midfield and goalscoring as areas requiring improvement. De Jong remained at Barcelona, and neither he, Kane nor Rice joined United. Ten Hag opposed Scott McTominay’s sale to Napoli in August 2024 and described dealing with the hierarchy as involving “broken promises”.

His interview comes as Ronaldo faces a separate 30-day suspension from the Portuguese Football Federation and a €255 fine after leaving Portugal’s camp during the previous international break. He remains available for future selection.

Ten Hag left United with two major domestic trophies, including the 2024 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City. His successor, Ruben Amorim, has also since left, with Michael Carrick taking charge.