Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag fires back at Cristiano Ronaldo's criticism

Manchester United’s head coach Erik ten Hag says that “everyone can have an opinion” in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent comments criticizing him for saying that the Red Devils can’t win the Premier League.

“He said that Manchester United can’t win the Premier League. He said this if you read the article very well. He’s far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester. Everyone can have an opinion. It’s okay,” Ten Hag said in a press conference on Thursday, ahead of United’s visit to Southampton for Premier League.

“It doesn’t impact me,” the head coach continued. “We will do our best to win every game. We will see where we are in May. I know in the process where we are and what we have to do, where we are going. I have said before that we are still in a transition period.”

In a conversation with Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo showed his frustration with Ten Hag. “A Manchester United coach can not say they can’t compete to win the Premier League and the Champions League every year. This is Manchester United! You have to be there, 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 Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag had a tense relationship (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Ronaldo, who won three Premier League titles and a Champions League with United in his first stint with the team, also suggested that Ten Hag should take advice from legends of the club, including Ferdinand, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and Sir Alex Ferguson. “You cannot rebuild a club without knowledge,” the Portuguese said.

Ronaldo says he still loves Manchester United

In the conversation with Ferdinand, Ronaldo also referred to his exit from United in 2022. The star said that he “still loves” the club, and that he wishes them “the best” despite leaving the club after a fallout with Ten Hag.

“We cannot control things at some point in our life sometimes, but it’s done and already done,” he said. At that time, Ronaldo left the club, publicly alleging that he was being pushed out by Manchester United.

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He also claimed senior executives showed a lack of empathy following the death of his newborn son in April, criticized the Glazer family for not caring about the club, and accused manager Ten Hag of disrespecting him.