“He let me down” and “He did not run.” Ten Hag makes fiery statements against Ronaldo

Dutch coach Eric Ten Hag, former coach of Manchester United, said that Cristiano Ronaldo "let the team down" during his second spell with the club. The relationship between the player and the coach deteriorated in 2022, as Ronaldo left for Al-Nasr Club after Ten Hag excluded him from the squad.

The Dutch coach revealed, in an interview with The Athletic, that Ronaldo was not ready to make the effort required to be part of his team. He claimed that the Portuguese star missed training sessions and did not run enough.

“He let the team down, and he let me down too, because we made our plans based on him,” Ten Hag said of Ronaldo. “I traveled to Portugal to talk to him about what I wanted, before I joined Manchester United.”

The Dutch coach continued: “It is clear that he is one of the best in the history of football, and I had a lot of respect for him. But at that time, as a technical director, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admired.”

During his first spell at Old Trafford, the Portuguese player scored 84 goals in 196 matches he played in the English Premier League. Ronaldo returned to United in 2021, 12 years after his departure to Real Madrid.

However, following an interview he conducted with Talk TV presenter Piers Morgan - in which he claimed that the club had "betrayed" him and also criticized Ten Hag - the club announced that Ronaldo would leave its ranks again. Regarding what was perceived as a lack of effort on Ronaldo's part, Ten Hag said: “I confronted him about it.

I often said to him: 'Rooney, everyone wants to work for you to get you in the right position, but if you can't put yourself inside the penalty area, you won't score.' It's a mistake to think that I was waiting for him to apply pressure, or that he was tired; the truth is that he wasn't able to.

He didn't run, whether the team had the ball or lost it. The reason for this is because he did not prepare himself well.”

The Dutch coach added: “Every elite team must embrace the most prominent player, but this player in turn must work for the team.” Ten Hag continued about Ronaldo: “He used to tell the players: ‘Conserve your physical energy during training.’”

I understand that when you're in top shape; In some training sessions, you can save your effort. But before that, you have to train to reach the required fitness levels.

He added: "The players have to act; they have a huge responsibility. For some, football is not the highest priority, and for others, United was not the highest priority."