Erik ten Hag has described his troubled relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo during their time at Manchester United. In an interview with The Athletic, the former United manager accused Ronaldo of failing to meet the team’s fitness standards and weakening the training culture he wanted to build.

Ten Hag revealed he had traveled to Portugal to discuss his plans with Ronaldo before joining Manchester United. Despite building his plans around the forward, he claimed Ronaldo failed to meet the team’s fitness standards.

“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag said. His comments shed new light on the dispute that ended with Ronaldo leaving Manchester United in November 2022.

Erik ten Hag Accuses Cristiano Ronaldo of Failing Manchester United

Ten Hag said Ronaldo repeatedly failed to meet Manchester United’s physical demands in training. According to the former manager, the forward missed sessions, didn’t raise his heart rate enough during training, and didn’t complete all three laps of a fitness run after United’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022.

Ten Hag said he spoke to Ronaldo several times about his fitness and attacking role. He argued the forward needed to get into the right positions to score goals, but claimed his preparation wasn’t good enough.

“I confronted him with this. Many times I say, ‘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 Dutchman rejected the idea that he expected Ronaldo to press opponents until he became exhausted. Instead, he claimed Ronaldo didn’t run enough with or without the ball because he hadn’t prepared properly.

The comments show how the disagreement between Ten Hag and Ronaldo went beyond team selection. The manager believed the forward needed to meet the same physical standards as the rest of the Manchester United squad.

Cristiano Ronaldo Faced Questions Over Manchester United Training

Ten Hag also accused Ronaldo of discouraging teammates from working too hard in training.

“He was telling the players, ‘Save your legs at the training’,” Ten Hag said.

The former Manchester United manager explained that saving energy could make sense for a player who had already reached peak fitness. However, he believed players first needed to train hard enough to reach the required level.

Ten Hag also linked the problem to what he called the “Madrid connection” involving Ronaldo, Casemiro and Raphael Varane. All three players had previously played for Real Madrid before joining Manchester United.

“I can say I think that’s what the Madrid connection brought in, that players are powerful and they want to decide,” Ten Hag said.

Ten Hag believed the players’ demands clashed with Manchester United’s goal of playing fast, attacking football. In his view, some players wanted a style that suited their own preferences rather than the team’s direction.

Ten Hag said he had to take a strict approach to discipline because the club’s leadership did not support him enough.

“They are continuing the toxic culture; they fuel it, they give the power to the players,” he said.

His comments suggest he saw the Ronaldo dispute as part of a wider problem at Manchester United, not an isolated disagreement between a manager and one player.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United Fallout

Tensions between Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag grew during the 2022-23 season. The forward later gave a controversial interview in which he criticized the manager and the club. Manchester United and Ronaldo subsequently parted ways in November 2022.

Ten Hag said his decision was not about disrespecting Ronaldo’s achievements. He acknowledged the Portuguese forward’s place among football’s greatest players but argued that reputation alone could not exempt anyone from the team’s standards.

The former manager’s account offers a different explanation than Ronaldo’s public criticism of Manchester United. Ten Hag believes the club needed players who followed its training demands and tactical plans, regardless of their status.

Nearly four years after Ronaldo’s departure, the former manager’s comments revisit one of the most talked-about disputes of his time at Old Trafford. His central argument remains that Manchester United needed its star players to work for the team, and he believed Ronaldo had failed to meet that expectation.