Ten Hag says Ronaldo undermined Manchester United training standards

Erik ten Hag has said Cristiano Ronaldo’s second Manchester United spell broke down because the forward did not meet the physical and collective demands required by the squad, with the former manager also claiming that Ronaldo encouraged team-mates to reduce their effort in training.

Key takeaways

• Ten Hag and Ronaldo worked together only during the opening months of the 2022-23 season.
• United ended Ronaldo’s contract in November 2022 after a public dispute between the player and manager.
• Ten Hag said he travelled to Portugal before taking the United job to explain his plans to Ronaldo.
• The Dutch coach rejected the suggestion that Ronaldo was excluded because he was unwilling to press.
• Ronaldo, now 41, has recently been involved in another managerial dispute while with Portugal.

Ten Hag’s account of the United split

Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford for a second spell in 2021, but sought to leave during the summer before Ten Hag’s first campaign in charge. Ten Hag said he had nevertheless intended to include the Portugal captain in his plans and met him in Portugal before arriving in Manchester.

While describing Ronaldo as one of the greatest players in football history, Ten Hag said the situation forced him to make what he considered a practical decision for the team. He felt the forward had failed both the group and the manager after those initial discussions.

The relationship deteriorated as Ronaldo was left out of the starting side on several occasions. It ultimately collapsed after the striker’s interview with Piers Morgan, in which he said he felt betrayed and stated that he had no respect for Ten Hag. United terminated his contract later that month.

Fitness concerns and Portugal’s latest controversy

Ten Hag said Ronaldo’s problem was not an expectation that he should lead an aggressive press. Instead, he argued that insufficient pre-season work meant the veteran was not fit enough to make the runs needed to reach scoring areas, either when United had possession or when they did not.

The former Ajax coach said United’s players were prepared to create opportunities for Ronaldo, but maintained that the striker still needed to get himself into the penalty area. He added that elite sides must accommodate their biggest names, while those players must also contribute to the collective effort.

Ten Hag further alleged that Ronaldo had advised other United players to conserve their energy in sessions. In his view, that approach could only be justified once a player had reached the necessary conditioning level.

Ronaldo has again drawn attention following a disagreement with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, previously Al-Nassr manager. After remaining unused in Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League win over Norway last month, Ronaldo left the camp and accused Jesus of breaking his trust.

An investigation resulted in a 30-day suspension, although Portuguese Football Federation officials are still prepared to consider bringing Ronaldo back into the international set-up.