Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has renewed his criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming the Portugal superstar’s career was effectively over by the time he left Juventus and later returned to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo’s second spell at United ended bitterly after he publicly criticised the club and Ten Hag, accusing the manager of having ‘betrayed’ him during a bombshell interview.
United terminated Ronaldo’s contract after his outspoken comments, and the forward joined Al-Nassr in January 2023. Ten Hag was then dismissed by the club in October 2024 following a poor run of results.
Last month, Ten Hag spoke at length to The Athletic, claiming Ronaldo had ‘let the team down’ and arguing that Manchester United’s hierarchy had helped create a ‘toxic culture’.
The Dutch coach has now intensified his criticism, insisting the 41-year-old was unwilling to put the team’s needs ahead of his own.
‘Every top team must embrace its best player, but that player must also make way for the team. That was simply the problem with Ronaldo,’ Ten Hag said in an interview with ESPN.
Erik ten Hag claims Cristiano Ronaldo’s career had already ended by the time he returned to Manchester United
In a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic last week, Ten Hag criticised Manchester United’s hierarchy for contributing to a ‘toxic culture’ and also took aim at Ronaldo
‘There should be no misunderstanding: he is, of course, a great player. He belongs among the greatest footballers in the world.
‘But the reality is that he had not been able to deliver for the previous seven or eight years. From his time at Juventus onwards, it was simply over.’
Ten Hag also praised Real Madrid for selling Ronaldo at what he considered the ideal point in the forward’s career. The Spanish club was where Ronaldo produced the most prolific statistics of his career.
‘That is Real Madrid’s great strength,’ he added. ‘They recognise when a player is beginning to decline. They then part company while, to the outside world, that player still appears to be at his peak, even though he can no longer perform at the same level.’
During his tell-all interview last month, Ten Hag also accused Manchester United’s owners of breaking recruitment promises and criticised the club for lacking ambition in the transfer market.
His comments came during an unsettled period for United, with Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes both publicly criticising the club’s board and manager Michael Carrick respectively in recent weeks.
Carrick was given an opportunity to steady the team after United chiefs held crunch talks earlier this week, following a 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como and a 3-0 Premier League loss to Bournemouth.
Ten Hag says Ronaldo was unwilling to step aside for the benefit of the team
Ronaldo, now with Al-Nassr, is closing in on 1,000 career goals
United suffered another heavy defeat on Saturday, losing 3-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and increasing the pressure on Carrick.
Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel also criticised Ten Hag last week for speaking publicly about the club during such a difficult period.
Speaking on The Overlap Daily, the former United goalkeeper said: ‘What really annoys me about everything that has happened over the past two weeks is Ten Hag coming out and saying he wanted Declan Rice and Harry Kane, as though he had done everything right.
‘It is ridiculous. He brought in Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt. He signed players who are still at the club, so how can he come out and say those things?
‘Everyone knew Manchester United should sign Harry Kane. Everyone knew we should have signed Declan Rice; that is no secret. I do not know why it did not happen.
‘But now people are stirring things up when they should be keeping calm and saying less. Perhaps they should talk about what they themselves did for this football club, or what they failed to do.
‘He was not a success at Manchester United. Why does he feel the need to speak out?
‘He is saying, “The club let me down”, and there may be some truth in that, but he was not good enough. Then he went to Bayer Leverkusen, a team that had just won the Bundesliga, and was sacked after, what, three games?’
Ten Hag also criticised Manchester United’s hierarchy during a turbulent period for the club
Michael Carrick has been given an opportunity to turn United’s fortunes around after crunch talks among the club’s chiefs
‘Perhaps he should take a step back and avoid putting himself in that position, because then someone like me ends up criticising him, and there is no need for that. It is not part of the narrative we need.’
Manchester United dismissed Ten Hag in October 2024 after a run of poor results left the club 14th in the Premier League.
His position had already been under scrutiny after United finished a disappointing eighth in the top flight a few months earlier. However, victory over rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final helped persuade the club to extend his contract in the summer, following decisive talks in Ibiza.
Ten Hag subsequently replaced Xabi Alonso at Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen the following season, but he was dismissed after only three matches in charge. He later criticised the board’s decision as ‘unprecedented’.
