Erik ten Hag doubles down on Cristiano Ronaldo criticism with fresh attack | Football

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has come out swinging for Cristiano Ronaldo again, doubling down on recent criticism of the iconic forward.

Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in 2021 for his second stint with Manchester United, before Ten Hag took charge as manager in the summer of 2022.

The relationship between the manager and the star striker did not blossom and in November 2022 Ronaldo’s contract was terminated after he criticised the boss and the club as a whole.

The Portuguese superstar moved to Saudi Arabia while Ten Hag would remain in charge of the Red Devils until his dismissal in October 2024.

The Dutchman had not said a great deal in the two years since then, but has now sprung into life with criticism of Ronaldo.

Speaking to The Athletic last month of their time together, Ten Hag said: ‘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”.

‘He was not capable to do this. It’s the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he’s exhausted. But he couldn’t. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn’t prepare himself.

‘Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team.

‘He was telling the players, “save your legs at the training”. I understand it when you are top fit; you have sessions, you can save the legs. But first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels.’

Ten Hag has gone for the 41-year-old again, leveling the same criticisms at him, but going even further.

The former Ajax boss says Ronaldo was not just off the pace at Manchester United, but his time at the top of the game was over when he left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.

‘He belongs among the greats of the world. But the reality is also that he hasn’t been able to deliver for the last seven or eight years. From Juventus onwards, it was simply over,’ Ten Hag told ESPN.

‘He couldn’t bring himself to torture himself anymore. To give it his all every day. To get fit. If you aren’t fit in the Premier League, you stand no chance. He can still finish chances. You can still see that. But if you can’t get into the penalty area anymore…’

He added: ‘Ultimately, the choice was up to him. Whether he wants to make that investment. If he doesn’t want to, I have to make other choices in the interest of the club. We have seen that.’

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