Ten Hag finally speaks about Ronaldo and Manchester

Trust in the form of a new contract, followed not long afterwards by talk of dismissal. Everything that Michael Carrick is now facing was previously experienced by Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. He brought the club two trophies in two seasons, but made a slower start to his third campaign and was sacked after nine matches, having suffered four defeats in that period. Almost exactly two years later, the Dutch coach, currently working as FC Twente’s technical director, spoke to The Athletic about his experience at Old Trafford. In an extensive interview, the 56-year-old opened up for the first time and laid bare all the problems he faced in Manchester. He spoke about broken promises from the club’s hierarchy, damaged relationships and the lack of a clear vision that directly affected results.Erik ten Hag has revealed he pleaded with Man United not to sell Scott McTominay 👀 https://t.co/RIxOHp8KLR— OneFootball (@OneFootball) October 20, 2026 Talk of his dismissal had begun long before he was actually sacked, as early as the end of the 2023/24 season, when Manchester United finished eighth and missed out on European football. Their place in Europe was secured only by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. It turned out that the victory had saved Ten Hag’s job. Although he was on thin ice, the former Ajax coach had the courage to set conditions during negotiations, which the English club’s management accepted but never fulfilled.“I didn’t want to continue working with only one year left on my contract. So I said: ‘I need an extra year, and we have to do this together.’ They promised me loyalty, they promised me support, they promised communication and that we would be aligned. We discussed the problems. But they didn’t keep their promises” Ten Hag began in his lengthy interview with The Athletic.🚨👀 Erik ten Hag on his sacking: “All the data was showing we are good. OK, two poor games to Liverpool and Spurs (both 3-0 home defeats). We were starting the process. Let it progress; the gameplay is getting better. “Maybe they can say differently, but I see on the pitch, and every game they (the players) fought. “Also, my last game, that was probably one of our BEST games, we should have won against West Ham. “But I’m sure the process was already ongoing; there were already people — maybe even in the team — who knew what would happen the day after.” [@TheAthleticFC] https://t.co/pbHcAxudWY— United & Everything Football (@UEF_Podcast) October 20, 2026 One of the biggest reasons for Ten Hag’s disappointment was the club’s decision to sell Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay to Napoli to finance other signings — read Manuel Ugarte. The Dutch coach had insisted that McTominay stay because of his attacking contribution and because he liked his mentality.“That’s why I was disappointed. We reached an agreement in Ibiza. I said: ‘No selling Scott McTominay.’ We were supposed to be aligned throughout the transfer window. I put forward my argument, my reason: we don’t have enough goals in this team. Scott brings goals and has a fantastic mentality. United runs through his veins. So when they brought up the subject, I said: ‘No.’ And in the end, they sold him. Of course, I felt very uncomfortable and disappointed.”Former Man United player takes aim at Ten Hag and reveals his dark sideReflecting on the management’s decision to part ways with him after the defeat to West Ham, Ten Hag insists that the move was illogical and premature. He emphasizes that the statistical indicators and data at the time pointed towards the team stabilizing and making progress.“I think it was quite strange to part ways at that point. All the data showed that we were doing well. Okay, two bad games against Liverpool and Tottenham — both 3–0 defeats at home. We were starting a process. Let it develop; the football was improving.”The arrival of INEOS and the restructuring of the club’s management brought considerable uncertainty. Ten Hag explains how such an environment made the coaching job more difficult.“The takeover process brought a lot of noise, uncertainty among people and disruption. So it was difficult for the manager, for the coach, to work. That’s clear. It was very complicated.”Chosen as the worst Leverkusen boss everDespite the talk of his dismissal, Ten Hag refused to seek explanations from the club’s leadership and focused all his energy on preparing the team for the match against Manchester City. Celebrating that victory remains his fondest memory from his time in England.“I thought I was the best coach for United, so there was no point in getting into that. I focused only on my team. We had one chance to win a trophy, the FA Cup, and that’s a huge thing. And we did it. The celebration on the pitch at Wembley — let’s say that was the best moment of my life in Manchester.”Ten Hag criticises the club’s leadership because he believes that its failure to support disciplinary measures against certain players undermined his authority and perpetuated a poor dressing-room culture.“And so they continue that toxic culture; they fuel it, they empower the players. Rashford is an incredible player if his attitude is right. I always showed faith in him and kept putting him in the team. But when you set standards like that, sometimes you have to make adjustments.”Ronaldo's training clashes with Ten HagErik ten Hag, finally spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo. Three years ago, he clashed with the Portuguese forward, a dispute that ended with Cristiano leaving Old Trafford.“He let the team down, and he let me down too, because we had planned the season with him in the squad,” Ten Hag began.He continued discussing the “Ronaldo case”.“I travelled to Portugal to talk to him about the goals I wanted to achieve before taking on the responsibility of managing Manchester United. Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in the history of football, and I had enormous respect for him, but as a coach I had to make rational decisions and rely on the players best suited to the team.”Varane reveals: "I was surprised ETH stayed, we had a robust row"Ten Hag revealed a rather astonishing detail: one of the key problems was Ronaldo’s poor physical condition. The Dutchman said that, for example, after the 4–0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022, he had put the squad through demanding training sessions, but Cristiano completed only two of the three running laps that had been set.“I told him many times: ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to help you get into the right position, but if you can’t get into the penalty area, you won’t be able to score either.’ Ronaldo didn’t run, whether we had the ball or when we lost it. And the reason was that he wasn’t preparing in the required way.”Ten Hag also explained, to some extent, how Ronaldo’s influence during training extended to the rest of the squad.“Every great team has to accommodate its great player, but the great player also has to work for the team,” Erik ten Hag added.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 3Tuesday19.45: (1.65) Fenerbahce (4.20) Slavia Praha (4.90)19.45: (8.00) Sabah (5.30) Dortmund (1.35)22.00: (1.50) Liverpool (4.80) Villareal (5.45)22.00: (1.08) Man.City (12.0) AEK (24.0)22.00: (1.75) Napoli (4.00) Bodo (4.30)22.00: (2.40) PSG (4.70) Barcelona (2.40)22.00: (1.55) Porto (4.20) PSV (5.90)22.00: (1.15) Roma (7.75) Slovan B. (16.0)22.00: (3.35) Stuttgart (3.60) Atl.Madrid (2.10)***odds are subject to change***