Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of letting the club and his teammates down, claiming the Portuguese forward failed to meet the team’s fitness and training standards during their time together at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag made the allegations in an interview with The Athletic on Tuesday, reflecting on his strained relationship with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner during his spell as United manager.
“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag said.
“I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United.”
Despite the fallout, the Dutchman acknowledged Ronaldo’s status as one of football’s greatest players but said he had to prioritise the team when making decisions as manager.
“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,” he added.
Ten Hag also claimed that Ronaldo struggled to meet United’s fitness requirements, alleging that the forward sometimes withdrew from training sessions and failed to reach the required heart rate levels.
He recalled United’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022, after which players were ordered to run laps as punishment. According to Ten Hag, Ronaldo completed only two of the three laps.
The former manager said he confronted Ronaldo about his fitness and movement in the penalty area, arguing that the forward needed to work harder 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.”
Ten Hag further alleged that Ronaldo did not contribute enough to the team’s pressing and defensive work and encouraged teammates to conserve their energy during training.
“Ronaldo was telling the players: save your legs at training,” he said.
“I understand it when you are top fit, but first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels.”
Ten Hag maintained that while teams must accommodate their best players, those players must also fulfil their responsibilities to the collective effort.
“Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team,” he said.
Ronaldo’s relationship with Ten Hag deteriorated during the 2022/23 season, ending with the forward’s departure from Manchester United in November 2022 after a controversial interview in which he criticised the club and its management.
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