Ten Hag: Ronaldo let team down, skipped training

Erik ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of letting down Manchester United and failing to meet fitness standards during their time together at Old Trafford. Speaking to The Athletic, Ten Hag said Ronaldo did not complete post-match runs and even pulled out of training sessions, claiming he ran neither in possession nor out of possession ^[1]. The former United manager said he flew to Portugal to discuss his plans before joining the club and had expected Ronaldo to commit fully, despite respecting him as one of football’s greatest ^[3].

Ten Hag revealed Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute in a 2022 win over Tottenham, leading to his temporary ban from the first team. The forward later publicly criticised the club, saying he felt 'betrayed' and lacked respect for Ten Hag, who he claimed tried to force him out ^[4].

The Dutchman also claimed the club broke promises made during his contract extension talks, including selling Scott McTominay to Napoli without his consent, which he said left him 'embarrassed' ^[2]. He added that Ronaldo told players to 'save their legs' during training, a comment Ten Hag dismissed as inappropriate given Ronaldo’s lack of preparation — though this claim has not been confirmed by other sources ^[4].

Piers Morgan, a close associate of Ronaldo, has hit back, calling Ten Hag’s claims a 'disgusting travesty of the truth' on X ^[1]. Ronaldo, now playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, has not publicly responded to the allegations. He has, however, previously stated he did not respect Ten Hag and felt pushed out of the club ^[4].

Ten Hag was sacked by United in October 2024, five months after winning the FA Cup, and now works as technical director at FC Twente ^[3]. He also said his main goal during his tenure was to strengthen the squad with key signings, including Frenkie de Jong and Harry Kane, but cited a lack of goals as a persistent issue. The story was first reported by Mirror and The Guardian.