Erik ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo haven’t experienced the greatest of relationships.

In 2022, Ronaldo hit out at his Manchester United manager, saying, “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me.”

The disagreements between the two effectively put a sour end to the Portugal star’s time at the club where he earned a defining move in his first stint to Real Madrid in 2009, while building one of the greatest legacies any player has.

Speaking on ESPN Netherlands’ Goedemorgen Eredivisie programme via YouTube, Erik ten Hag was asked about Ronaldo’s career in the last few years, and said: “The players wanted to work for him and looked up to him because he is one of the greats of all time.

“But over the last seven or eight years, he simply can no longer deliver.

“From Juventus, it’s simply over.”

It’s a damning point of view, though ten Hag won’t be expected to have the greatest regard for Ronaldo after what the football superstar said about him in 2022.

Ten Hag then continued, “When I started at Man United, I explained to him how we were going to play and what his role in that would be.

“But ultimately, you have to deliver. But he could no longer bring himself to push through the pain to give everything every single day and to train at his maximum.

“And if you are not fit to play in the Premier League, you have no chance.

Ten Hag was then asked about Ronaldo having always done that, and said: “Well, that was the image. But he could no longer bring himself to do that.

“You show him what is required, and he knows it too, and you come to him with arguments that hold up.”

Ten Hag was asked about Ronaldo’s response and if it was to say Ten Hag wasn’t good enough, prompting the Dutch manager to say, “No, he doesn’t say that because the evidence was so clear. So he had to make a choice.

“At that moment, I have to make a decision that is in the best interests of the club and of the team.

“I know that I did everything I could to persuade him [to be Premier League fit], but the choice is with the individual as to whether he wants to make that investment.

“And if you don’t want to, I have to make different choices in the interest of the team, and that’s whet we saw.”

It’s not the first time in recent weeks that ten Hag has had something to say on Ronaldo. The situation from his point of view is unfortunate reading.

Ten Hag says Ronaldo was not fit to play for him, and that sums up the end of the return period that the now-41-year-old had at Manchester United.

The ex-United boss now holds the role of technical director at Dutch side Twente, and has not stepped into a head coach position since being sacked after weeks at Bayer Leverkusen in 2025.