Almost four full years have passed since Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United. He packed his bags and walked out ahead of the World Cup, after things blew up between him and Erik ten Hag. Since then, the Dutch manager has often spoken about their relationship and what went wrong. Whenever someone invites him for an interview, it is an unavoidable topic. The same was true this time in a conversation with ESPN. He believes Cristiano Ronaldo was not prepared to put the team first, was not physically fit enough for the demands of the Premier League, and that his time at the top was already over when he was still at Juventus.Ten Hag finally speaks about Ronaldo and Manchester“The reality is that he has not been able to play at that level for the past seven or eight years. His time was already over at Juventus. Real Madrid’s great strength is that they recognise when a player starts to decline. They part ways with him when, from the outside, he still appears to be at his peak, but in reality he can no longer deliver enough at that level” he said.We don't know who the GOAT is, but we know who the BOAT isHe also recalled how he approached conversations with the Portuguese forward, describing them vividly…“You hold a mirror up to him and present him with solid arguments. Then everything becomes perfectly clear.”For things to work, there has to be mutual understanding, and that was missing.“Every great team has to support its best player, but the best player also has to put the team first. That was precisely the problem with Ronaldo. But let there be no mistake — he is, of course, an exceptional player. One of the greatest. There was tension between Cristiano and me. He could no longer bring himself to endure the demands and give his maximum every day. If you are not fit in the Premier League, then you have no chance” said Ten Hag.##EDITORS_CHOICE##He also claims the choice was Cristiano Ronaldo’s: it was up to him to determine how their relationship would develop and whether there would be a place for him at Manchester United.“He won the Champions League five times and scored countless goals. He has given a great deal to football. We all enjoyed watching him, including me. But at that moment, I had to make decisions that were in the best interests of the team and the club. In the end, the choice was his. Everything depended on whether he was willing to put in the effort or not.”And finally, a little about the current situation involving Cristiano Ronaldo, Jorge Jesus and the Portugal national team.“Nobody is bigger than a club or a country. Not Cristiano Ronaldo, and not Messi. The team always comes first,” Erik ten Hag concluded.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 9SaturdayChelsea – Manchester United 2-0 (0-0)/Rogers 50, Palmer 64 pen/Bournemouth – Leeds 2-0 (1-0)/Evanilson 31, Adli 90+4/Brentford – Nottingham Forest 2-0 (1-0)/Milenkovic 30 og , Thiago 76/Coventry – Sunderland 3-1 (2-0)/Sakamoto 17, Awoniyi 37, Rudoni 52 – Le Fee 67 pen/Hull City – Ipswich 2-2 (0-1)/Iroegbunam 58, McBurnie 68 – Luis 22, Enciso 74/Manchester City – Brighton 0-1 (0-1)/Ayari 11/Tottenham – Crystal Palace 2-0 (1-0)/Gray 25, Van Hecke 73/Aston Villa – Fulham 1-1 (1-0)/Jackson 39 – Suzuki 64 og/SundayLiverpool – Arsenal 0-1 (0-1)/Havertz 16/Monday23.00: (2.35) Newcastle (3.60) Everton (2.85)***odds are subject to change***