Former Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag reveals truth about his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo

After a solid spell at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021, bringing high hopes for boosting the team’s competitiveness. Fans expected him to be the icing on the cake for the project. Yet, the Portuguese star’s departure in November 2022 surprised many. Speculation surrounded his poor relationship with head coach Erik Ten Hag. Now, he chose to address the issue directly, breaking the ice on the matter.

“For me it’s not a problem (Cristiano Ronaldo). He was never the problem. And I think that’s the past. I think it was what happened and after that we won trophies at Manchester United. I wish him all the best for the future,” Erik Ten Hag said, via Beanyman Sports.

Despite Erik’s claims of having no issues with Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese player’s prominence sharply declined with his arrival, who chose to bet on Wout Weghorst in the forward line instead of utilizing Ronaldo as a lone striker. After Cristiano’s departure, Ten Hag’s tenure lasted only a few more years, yielding just two titles—the FA Cup and the League Cup—but falling short of securing the Premier League, ultimately leading to his dismissal.

Cristiano Ronaldo delivers harsh criticism towards Erik ten Hag after leaving Manchester United

Unlike Ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo has consistently voiced his criticism of the former Manchester United head coach. In a 2022 interview with Piers Morgan, the Portuguese star bluntly stated, “I don’t have respect for [Ten Hag] because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going to have respect for you.”

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park on November 06, 2022 in Birmingham, England.

Cristiano experienced several perplexing situations under Ten Hag’s leadership, such as being benched only to play for 10 minutes or less. He also mentioned that Ten Hag never communicated directly with him about not being in the team’s plans. Nonetheless, his criticism did not stop there as the Portuguese star delivered blunt criticism towards Erik statement about the team competitiveness in Champions League.

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“The coach (Erik Ten Hag) says they cannot compete to win the League and Champions League. Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League. You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try,” Cristiano said in 2024, via Rio Ferdinand Presents.