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Dutchman Erik ten Hag, the former manager of England's Manchester United, accused Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo of letting the team down during their time working together, confirming that he had built his plans around the veteran striker's presence in his squad.
Ten Hag, 56, said in an interview with the sports website "The Athletic" on Tuesday: "He let the team down, and he let me down too, because we based our plans on having him with us."
He added that he traveled to Portugal to speak with Ronaldo about his aspirations before taking charge of Manchester United in the summer of 2022, noting that he had great respect for the Portuguese star, whom he described as one of the best players in the history of football.
He explained: "I respected him a lot, but at that time, as a coach, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I believed were capable of executing what I asked of them."
The relationship between the two parties became strained in October 2022, after Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham, which prompted Ten Hag to exclude him from the team's squad for the match against Chelsea in the English Premier League.
In November of the same year, Ronaldo criticized the club and its coach during a media interview, saying he felt betrayed and did not respect Ten Hag, before the player and the club agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent.
The Dutch coach touched on the physical aspects of his dispute with Ronaldo, explaining that his demands were not limited to pressing the opponent, but included commitment to the required physical work on the pitch.
He said: "It is wrong to say that I expected him to press the opponent despite him suffering from fatigue, but he was not running with or without the ball, and the reason is that he did not prepare well."
He stressed that a player's status does not exempt them from their responsibilities toward the team, adding: "Every big team must embrace its best player, but the best player must also work for the team."
Ronaldo had returned to Manchester United from Italy's Juventus in August 2021, during the tenure of Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjær as team manager, before Ten Hag succeeded him the following season.
The Portuguese striker scored 3 goals in 16 matches under the Dutch coach's leadership before leaving the club in November 2022.
Speaking about his experience with Manchester United, Ten Hag criticized the work culture within the club, considering that it contributed to giving some players influence beyond the limits of their roles.
He said: "They continue to perpetuate this toxic culture, and they feed it by giving players power," citing the way the club handled English striker Marcus Rashford.
He revealed that he wanted to sign a number of prominent players, including his compatriot Frenkie de Jong, and the Englishmen Harry Kane and Declan Rice, and also opposed the sale of Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay to Italy's Napoli in August 2024.
He explained that his priorities when taking charge were to strengthen the center-back position, sign a midfielder capable of organizing play, and bring in strikers capable of scoring goals.
He said: "This was the biggest problem I faced throughout my three years, which is scoring goals."
Ten Hag was dismissed as Manchester United manager in October 2024, after leading the team to win the English League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
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