Erik ten Hag arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2022 as one of the most exciting young managers around, given the unenviable task of fixing a team whose decline had been nothing short of extraordinary.
His two years at the helm were anything but simple. The Dutchman won two trophies, fought with Cristiano Ronaldo and watched over some of the worst signings in club history. So, when he sat down with The Athletic to pull back the curtain on his tenure, it came as no surprise that he had plenty to say.
Here are five key takeaways from the interview.
The ‘Broken Promises’ Before His Exit
Ten Hag’s departure from United was a comedy, the sort of which you would pay to see in the theater.
An infamous end-of-season review into his position saw United speak with a handful of big-name alternatives before not only persisting with Ten Hag, but offering him a new contract. Three months later, he was fired.
“I wouldn’t go on with only one year left,” Ten Hag reflected. “So I said, ‘I need an extra year and we have to do it together.’ They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned. We spoke about the issues. But the promises, they didn’t keep.”
Among the biggest broken promises to Ten Hag was the sale of homegrown midfielder Scott McTominay.
Only Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Højlund scored more goals for United in 2023–24 than the Scotland international, who Ten Hag claims he was assured would remain at Old Trafford just weeks before he was flipped to Napoli.
“That’s why I got disappointed,” the manager explained. “In Ibiza, we agreed. I said, ‘No selling Scott McTominay.’ We would go aligned in the transfer window.
“I make an argument, a reason: we don’t have scoring abilities. Scott brings scoring abilities and great mentality. He has United in all his veins. So when they bring up the subject, ‘No.’ And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed.”
Man Utd ‘Fuel’ Toxic Culture
In April 2022, as the club waited for Ten Hag to join, interim boss Ralf Rangnick argued United needed “open heart surgery” as he insisted everybody at Old Trafford had to get on the same page and address a culture of toxicity that had been allowed to breed.
The very same issue Rangnick tried to warn against reared its ugly head during Ten Hag’s reign and played a key part in the tenure of his successor, Ruben Amorim. There is even a case to suggest it is still alive and kicking to this day.
According to Ten Hag, United are responsible for allowing this culture to continue.
“They are continuing the toxic culture; they fuel it, they give the power to the players.”
“Players have to act, they have a big responsibility. Football is, for some, not the highest priority. And United for some wasn’t the highest priority.”
Ten Hag then touched on what he described as the “Madrid connection,” referencing a series of signing of former Real Madrid stars. Raphaël Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo were already at United when Ten Hag joined and Casemiro followed the pair over in the summer of 2022.
The Dutchman accused the trio of contributing to the issues at United with egos built from years of playing at the highest level.
“I can say I think that’s what the Madrid connection brought in, that players are powerful and they want to decide,” he said. “In my opinion it didn’t suit the phase United was in.
“The leadership wanted attacking, dynamic football and these players wanted to play what fitted themselves.”
Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Let the Team Down’
Perhaps the lingering memory of Ten Hag’s United tenure was his bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo. It was the Dutchman’s decision to drop the striker that led to that bombshell interview and his departure toward the end of 2022.
It is not a situation Ten Hag regrets.
“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” the boss stressed. “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 in.”
Ten Hag admitted he “confronted” Ronaldo with accusations that he was pulling out of training sessions and failing to work hard enough when he did stay, as well as the fact he completed just two of the three laps Ten Hag made the whole squad run as punishment for their 4–0 defeat to Brentford in August that year.
“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 recalled. “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.
“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 Big Missed Signings
The recruitment of the Ten Hag era undoubtedly left something to be desired.
Much has been made of his desire to sign players he knew well—fellow Dutchman or those from the Eredivisie—and it is no secret that Ten Hag missed out on his top target, midfielder Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona.
“I did my best; I set up meetings with [De Jong], where it was Richard [Arnold, chief executive] and John [Murtough, director of football] involved as well, to pursue him to come over,” Ten Hag said of De Jong. “He could have been very important building the team, not only that year but for the future. But we didn’t make it.”
De Jong was not the only player United failed to add from Ten Hag’s wish list. Midfielder Declan Rice, then of West Ham United and currently of Arsenal, was towards the top of his wish list alongside striker Harry Kane, who joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023.
“The issue was that West Ham didn’t want to let [Rice] go,” Ten Hag recalled. “I think we could have done more to test. We were on one page, they tried, but I don’t know how the process went. The point is, at United you need outstanding players.
“I fought for [Kane]. I heard that he was very positive, but I never spoke with him about the issue. I don’t know how the decision process went with John, Richard, the Glazers.”
Had United landed any of these big targets, Ten Hag believes the club would have immediately found itself on a more positive trajectory.
“I think a club like United, you need these profiles to be successful,” he stressed. “Personality, and they are mature, and they’re accountable. We signed five, six players, young, high potentials. But they are not the finished product. They need guidance from good professionals, like Kane, Rice and Bruno [Fernandes].”
His Love for Man Utd Remains
Ten Hag would be forgiven for harboring a grudge against United, where his status as perhaps the most exciting young coach in the game went up in flames. Yet, somehow, his love for the club remains as strong as ever.
“I enjoyed every minute in Manchester United; I have such wonderful memories,” Ten Hag admitted. “It feels like I’m connected; I’m a fan. It’s an amazing fanbase; they were always respectful to me.
“I really want United to win. I want them to be successful again. I want the club to be back where it once was.”
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