# ‘He let the team down, and he let me down’ -Ex-Man.United manager Erik ten Hag attacks Cristiano Ronaldo

- Link: https://viralbrief.top/he-let-the-team-down-and-he-let-me-down-ex-man-united-manager-erik-ten-hag-attacks-cristiano-ronaldo/
- Published: 2026-10-21T04:25:08+00:00
- Author: Olamide

 

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo and
claimed the club icon “let the team down” by failing to train properly.

 

Ronaldo was in his second spell at United when Ten Hag took charge in the summer
of 2022 but left in controversial circumstances a few months later.

 

The Dutch boss was later sacked by United in October 2024 after a miserable run 
of results, following an infamous clash with the Portugal legend earlier in his 
time at Old Trafford.

 

Now, Ten Hag has alleged the five-time Ballon d’Or winner pulled out of training
sessions and managed just two of the three laps he demanded during a run at Carrington,
the day after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford at the start of the 2022/23 
season, before Ronaldo had his contract ripped up by United just weeks later.

 

Ten Hag, 56, currently technical director at Eredivisie club FC Twente, criticised
Ronaldo’s training standards, recalling how he confronted the veteran forward over
what he considered a lack of effort.

 

Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “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’.

 

“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 revealed: “He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned 
with him. I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before
I came to United.

 

“Obviously, he’s one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But
at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision.”

 [Source link ](https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2026/10/he-let-the-team-down-and-he-let-me-down-ex-manunited-manager-erik-ten-hag-attacks-cristiano-ronaldo.html)

  TL;DR (AI Generated)

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has criticized Cristiano Ronaldo for
failing to maintain proper training standards and letting the team down during their
time together.

Ten Hag alleged that Ronaldo avoided necessary physical work, refused to press, 
and even told teammates to save their legs during training sessions.

Although he respected Ronaldo's legendary status, the Dutch manager stated that 
he had to make rational decisions for the club after the forward failed to prepare
himself adequately.

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