Ten Hag says Ronaldo let Manchester United down

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo let the team down during his second spell at Old Trafford, accusing the forward of failing to prepare and work hard enough after Ten Hag took charge in 2022.

In an interview with The Athletic, Ten Hag said he had travelled to Portugal to discuss his plans with Ronaldo before joining United. “He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” he said. [1]

Ten Hag dropped Ronaldo for a Premier League match against Chelsea in October 2022 after the forward refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham. Ronaldo later said he felt “betrayed” by United and did not respect Ten Hag. His departure was agreed by mutual consent in November 2022. [1]

Ronaldo scored three goals in 16 appearances under Ten Hag before leaving during the 2022-23 season. Ten Hag rejected the suggestion that he had expected Ronaldo to press despite being exhausted, saying instead that the player “ran neither in possession nor out of possession” and had not prepared himself. He also said Ronaldo had told team-mates to “save your legs” in training. [1]

Ten Hag was sacked by United in October 2024. His interview was published as Ronaldo faced a 30-day suspension and a 255-euro fine from the Portuguese Football Federation for leaving Portugal’s international camp the previous month. [1]