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Erik Ten Hag Says Cristiano Ronaldo Let Manchester United Down
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Ten Hag says Ronaldo let the team down due to lack of preparation. He flew to Portugal to discuss plans; Ronaldo failed to meet them.
18 outlets told this the same way.
Ten Hag’s Ronaldo critique
Erik ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo "let the team and let me down" during the Dutchman's spell at Old Trafford, adding that "we planned with him" before he took charge. Ten Hag said he flew out to Portugal to speak with Ronaldo about what he was aiming for before arriving at United, and he said Ronaldo was "one of the best in football history" while also insisting he had to make a "rational decision" about keeping players. Ten Hag said Ronaldo pulled out of training sessions and did not raise his heart rate to the required level, and he said Ronaldo ran "neither in possession nor out of possession" because "he didn't prepare himself."
Ten Hag also said Ronaldo told teammates to "save your legs at the training," and he argued that every top team must embrace the top player while the top player has to work for the team. Reuters reported that Ronaldo was handed a 30-day ban and fined 255 euros by the Portuguese Football Federation after leaving his country's international camp following a rift with coach Jorge Jesus.
Training, fitness, and laps
Ten Hag told The Athletic that he confronted Ronaldo "Many times" and said, "Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can't bring yourself in the box, you can't score." Ten Hag said the physical problems complicated the tactical plans, and he described Ronaldo as encouraging teammates to reduce intensity in training. Ten Hag said he used to tell the players, "Save your legs in training," and he said he understood it when players were in shape but insisted they had to train to reach the proper physical level.
Ten Hag said Ronaldo did not complete all of the scheduled laps after United's 4-0 loss to Brentford, and he said Ronaldo completed only two of three laps in the running punishment. ESPN said Ten Hag claimed Ronaldo did not complete all of the scheduled laps and that Ronaldo "let the team down" in his second stint at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo’s suspension and context
Ronaldo was suspended for 30 days by the Portuguese Football Federation after he left the national team camp following a rift with coach Jorge Jesus, and Reuters said he was expected to play for Al-Nassr in a Saudi Pro League game later on Tuesday. Reuters said Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time leading scorer with 146 goals and that he was 19 goals short of scoring 1,000 in his career. Ten Hag said Ronaldo "let the team down" because "we planned with him," and he said he respected Ronaldo "a lot" while still making a decision to keep the players he admired.
BBC said Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United in October 2024, after winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and FA Cup in 2024, and it said Ronaldo was 36 when he returned to Manchester United from Juventus in 2021. BBC also said Ten Hag dropped Ronaldo for a Premier League game at Chelsea in October 2022 after Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham three days earlier.