LONDON.- The former coach of Manchester United, Erik ten Hagaccused Cristiano Ronaldo of having disappointed the team during his time as coach of the English club.
The Portuguese star was back at Manchester United when Ten Hag was signed in 2022.
The Dutchman’s relationship with Ronaldo quickly became strained and the attacker refused to enter as a substitute in a victory against the Tottenham in October 2022.
Ronaldo was not called up for the next match against Chelsea and gave an explosive television interview, saying he felt betrayed by the club and did not respect Ten Hag.
Player and club reached a mutual agreement the following month to terminate his contract.
“He disappointed the team and he disappointed me, because we had planned (the season) with him,” Ten Hag said in an interview with the specialized newspaper The Athletic.
“Obviously he is one of the best in the history of football. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a coach, I had to make the rational decision and keep the players I admire in there,” he added.
The Dutchman indicated that Ronaldo left training sessions and that he did not complete the full race that was imposed on the players after being defeated 4-0 against the Brentford that season.
“I confronted him about it. Many times I said ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you, to get you in the right position, but if you can’t get into the box you can’t score.’ He wasn’t able to do that,” Ten Hag said.
“He didn’t run either with possession or without it. The reason is that he didn’t prepare,” he said.
Broken promises
Ten Hag also referred to unfulfilled promises by the board before his dismissal in 2024, shortly after renewing.
The Dutch manager accused United of some of his problems, saying he was humiliated when he was sold to the Scotsman. Scott McTominay to the Naples without your consent.
“I said ‘Don’t sell Scott McTominay'” and they eventually sold him. Of course I was embarrassed and disappointed,” he said, also mentioning that he requested the signings of Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Frenkie de Jong.
“They promised me loyalty, support and communication, they promised that we were aligned. We talked about the problems. But they did not keep their promises,” he lamented.
