A former Manchester United boss believes past mistakes are to blame for the club's current problems

Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United's former 'Real Madrid connection' has contributed to a toxic culture in the squad. It's been two years since the Dutchman was sacked after a two-and-a-half-year spell which saw him win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

Aside from that success, there were difficult moments, such as dealing with big personalities like Cristiano Ronaldo and persistent rumours about his own future towards the end of his reign. Ten Hag fell out with Ronaldo, revealing he "confronted" the Portuguese icon over his work-rate before his acrimonious departure amid the fallout over his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

In an interview with The Athletic, Ten Hag also brought up two other players who previously enjoyed great success at Real Madrid, Casemiro and Raphael Varane, who he felt weren't the right fit for the club at the time.

Ten Hag inherited Ronaldo and Varane, while Casemiro arrived two months before his dismissal and ended his United career as a key player at the end of last season.

When asked to comment on Lisandro Martinez's recent tirade against the club, specifically director of football Jason Wilcox, Ten Hag said: "I can say I think that's what the Madrid connection brought in, that players are powerful and they want to decide.

Make sure you never miss the latest Manchester United news and opinion by making Manchester Evening News one of your Google preferred sources.

"In my opinion, it didn’t suit the phase United was in. The leadership wanted attacking, dynamic football and these players wanted to play what fitted themselves."

Ten Hag said he felt "let down" by Ronaldo, saying: "He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him.

"I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United. Obviously, he's one of the best in football history.

"I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admire in."

Ten Hag, now the technical director at Twente, felt the club failed to back him on disciplinary matters involving players such as Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho. He said: "And so, they are continuing the toxic culture, they fuel it, they give the power to the players.

"Rashford is an amazing player, if his mindset is right. I always showed my trust in him, played him. But when you show these standards, sometimes you have to make corrections."