Erik ten Hag breaks silence on Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest fierce criticism of Man Utd with spiky response to club legend
ERIK TEN HAG has broken his silence after Cristiano Ronaldo launched a stinging attack on on the Manchester United boss.
Ronaldo, who already has history with Ten Hag from his second spell at Man Utd, slammed the Dutchman for his negative outlook on United’s ambitions.
Ronaldo claimed that the Red Devils need to “rebuild everything” and took a swipe at Erik ten Hag for suggesting that a club of Man Utd’s stature can’t compete for the biggest trophies.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ronaldo said: “As I told you, Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion.
“The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the League and Champions League.
“[As] Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League.
“You have to be, 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.”
Ten Hag has now offered up his views on Ronaldo’s claims in his press conference ahead of United’s trip to face Southampton this weekend.
Rather than offering a rebuttal to the 39-year-old’s swipe, he has instead suggested that Ronaldo was the one who is claiming that Man Utd aren’t good enough to compete for the biggest titles.
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He said: “He [Ronaldo] 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.”
Adding: “[It] doesn’t impact me, I know in the process where we are, where we’re going.”
When quizzed on what United’s ambitions are later in the press conference, he said: “We will see where we are in May.
“It is very early in the season and it is about winning trophies, being as high as possible in the league, do everything to win every game.”
Man Utd fell to an eighth place finish in the league last season, losing 14 games and finishing on a negative goal difference.
However, Ten Hag still managed to win the FA Cup with his squad – securing a second piece of silverware in as many seasons at Old Trafford.
That trophy appeared to bank him more time at the helm of the club after he penned a new deal in the summer following months of speculation about a possible exit.
Ronaldo's rollercoaster return to Man Utd
By JOSHUA HALL
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the Theatre of Dreams in 2021 after some 12 years away from the club where he first rose to fame.
It looked like a fairytale return for one of the games’ greatest ever players, but things soon turned sour at the Manchester club.
Ronaldo arrived for less than £20m and walked back into Premier League football like he had never left, netting 18 goals and registering three assists in his first league campaign back.
That run saw him top United’s list of scorers for the season thanks to hat-tricks against Spurs and Norwich and a number of crucial last minute goals.
But things took a turn in his second season as he fell out of favour after the arrival of new boss Erik ten Hag.
Despite his impressive return in the previous season many fans and media outlets were claiming that his overall influence on the team was detrimental to results.
Things got even worse when Ronaldo refused to come on against Spurs in October 2022, prompting Ten Hag to drop him from the squad for the following game against Chelsea.
While it was also reported that Ronaldo had left Old Trafford early following the interaction with his boss.
The final straw was an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which Ronaldo took aim at Ten Hag, Man Utd’s culture and hinted about a potential exit.
That exit shortly followed as Ronaldo saw his contract with Man Utd terminated in November 2022.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner penned a mega money deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, bringing an end to a tumultuous second spell with Man Utd.
Ultimately, Ten Hag has outlasted Ronaldo at the Theatre of Dreams.
In fact, Ronaldo lasted less than half a season under the former Ajax boss when he played under him during his return to Man Utd.
The Portuguese powerhouse saw his contract ripped up in November 2022 after he had blasted his then-boss in a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
The sour ending to Ronaldo’s homecoming allowed the five-time Ballon d’or winner to secure his move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr.
Since making the switch to the Middle East, Ronaldo has scored 62 goals and registered 17 assists in his 68 appearances.
Manchester United have had an underwhelming start to the season under Ten Hag this term.
The Manchester giants have lost two of their opening three Prem clashes and currently sit 14th in the league table.
They were embarrassed 3-0 by rivals Liverpool last time out and will be hoping to bounce back with their trip to the south coast to face Southampton on Saturday.
Man Utd player ratings vs Liverpool
MANCHESTER UNITED had a horror show against Liverpool as they lost 3-0.
Casemiro was so bad he was taken off at half-time.
But were there any positive performances at Old Trafford?
Andre Onana – 5
Nothing he could do about any of Liverpool’s goals and made a few saves to prevent the scoreline from getting worse.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
Came close to scoring in the first half and looked solid enough against Diaz although he did push up too high before Liverpool’s opener.
Matthijs de Ligt – 4
Left Diaz and Domink Szobozslai in acres of space for the opening goal but was left in a tricky spot thanks to Casemiro’s error.
Booked for a shocking late tackle on Diaz.
Lisandro Martinez – 3
Lost Diaz for the second goal which meant the Colombian was able to score unmarked from the penalty spot.
Also guilty of giving away the ball too easily and was not tight enough with his marking.
Diogo Dalot – 4
Was caught out pushing up too quickly for the first goal and did not do enough to stop Mo Salah’s cross in the build-up to Liverpool’s second.
Looked dangerous in attack at times but too infrequently as he had plenty of defensive work to do since Rashford did not track Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Casemiro – 2
A horror show in the first half as he gave the ball away in the lead up to both of Liverpool’s goals.
He was caught on the ball for the second after a shocking misplaced pass left his defence vulnerable for the opening goal. Hooked at half-time.
Kobbie Mainoo – 4
Fell victim to the Casemiro curse as he was shrugged off the ball in a terrible position, allowing Liverpool to add a third with ease.
Bruno Fernandes – 5
Was United’s most creative spark but that is not saying much. Tried to get his side going in the first half but looked short of ideas and inspiration after the break.
Alejandro Garnacho – 4
Still appears to be a little rusty and is yet to hit the heights he reached last season.
Marcus Rashford – 3
Nothing came off for the out-of-sorts forward who must be running out of chances before he is dropped.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
Quiet up-front and had little influence on the wing as well, but missed a clear-cut chance with his head and should have turned in Rashford’s cross which he met at the far post.
Subs
Toby Collyer (for Casemiro, HT) – 5
A difficult game for the youngster to make his Premier League debut but he put himself about and won a few tackles.
Harry Maguire (for De Ligt, 69mins) – 5
Shored things up at the back as Liverpool took their foot off the pedal.
Amad (for Garnacho, 69mins) – 5
Provided a spark on the right and looked more lively than Garnacho.
Christian Eriksen (for Zirkzee, 86mins) – N/A
Not on long enough to make an impact.