Here are 5 shocking details revealed by Eric Ten Hag on his time with Cristiano Ronaldo at Man United in a new interview.
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has opened up about his strained relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming the Portuguese forward failed to meet the team’s physical demands and ultimately let both the club and the manager down.
In a newly published interview with The Athletic on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Ten Hag revisited the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo’s departure from Old Trafford in November 2022, offering fresh details about the disagreements that defined their brief time together. The Dutchman, who now serves as technical director at FC Twente, said he had initially planned around Ronaldo but became increasingly frustrated with the striker’s preparation and contribution to the team.
Here are five of the most striking revelations from Ten Hag’s latest comments about the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
1. Ten Hag said Ronaldo let him and Manchester United down
One of the strongest statements from the interview was Ten Hag’s admission that Ronaldo’s attitude and performances left him disappointed.
“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” the former United manager said.
Ten Hag explained that he had travelled to Portugal before taking charge of United to speak with Ronaldo and discuss his plans for the team. Despite the respect he had for the forward and the expectations surrounding their partnership, he felt Ronaldo did not deliver the commitment required.
The revelation offers a clearer picture of the disappointment behind a relationship that deteriorated rapidly during the opening months of Ten Hag’s tenure.
2. Ronaldo allegedly struggled to meet the required fitness standards
Ten Hag also questioned Ronaldo’s physical preparation, claiming the forward was not in the condition required to perform consistently at the level he expected.
According to the Dutchman, Ronaldo’s heart-rate readings during training did not meet the standards he wanted for the striker’s preparation. Ten Hag said he sometimes removed Ronaldo from training sessions because the intensity was not appropriate for him at the time.
The manager argued that Ronaldo needed to improve his fitness to reach dangerous positions in the penalty area and convert chances into goals.
“Ronnie, everyone works so that you can play in your best position, as a striker, but if you cannot reach the area, you cannot score goals,” Ten Hag recalled telling him.
He also rejected the suggestion that his primary expectation was for Ronaldo to press opponents relentlessly, arguing that the more fundamental issue was the forward’s preparation and ability to contribute during matches.
3. He recalled Ronaldo failing to complete a punishment after the Brentford defeat
Another striking detail concerned Manchester United’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022.
Ten Hag had reportedly instructed his players to complete three laps of the pitch following the loss, using the exercise as a response to the team’s poor performance. According to accounts of the new interview, Ronaldo did not complete the prescribed running.
The incident was significant because Ten Hag wanted to establish higher standards of discipline and collective responsibility after a difficult start to the season.
United had lost their opening two Premier League matches, including the Brentford defeat, and the manager was attempting to make it clear that every player was accountable regardless of reputation.
For Ten Hag, the episode reflected a wider problem with the standards he wanted to establish at Old Trafford.
4. Ronaldo allegedly encouraged teammates to conserve energy during training
Ten Hag further claimed that Ronaldo’s approach to training risked influencing other players in the squad.
The former manager said Ronaldo encouraged teammates to save their legs during training sessions. Ten Hag argued that such an approach could only be justified once a player had achieved the required level of fitness.
His concern was that a senior player with Ronaldo’s standing could set an example that ran counter to the manager’s expectations.
“Every top team has to accept an elite player, but the elite player also has to work for the team,” Ten Hag explained, according to reports of the interview.
The comments highlight the disagreement between Ronaldo’s status as one of football’s most accomplished players and Ten Hag’s insistence that every member of the squad should meet the same collective standards.
Ronaldo’s experience and achievements were not in question; Ten Hag’s argument was that reputation alone could not replace the physical preparation and teamwork he expected.
5. Ten Hag said Ronaldo was not contributing enough with or without the ball
The final revelation concerned Ronaldo’s overall contribution on the pitch.
Ten Hag reportedly argued that the forward was struggling to make the necessary runs both in possession and when the team did not have the ball. The manager believed Ronaldo’s lack of preparation affected his ability to reach scoring positions and contribute to the team’s wider play.
The disagreement became increasingly public during the 2022-23 campaign. Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute during United’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur in October 2022 and subsequently left the first-team setup for a period as a disciplinary measure.
The situation deteriorated further after Ronaldo’s televised interview with Piers Morgan, in which he criticised the club and said he did not respect Ten Hag. Manchester United and Ronaldo subsequently agreed to terminate his contract in November 2022.
Ronaldo later joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, bringing his second spell at Old Trafford to an abrupt end.
Ten Hag’s latest remarks show that, from his perspective, the breakdown was about more than a disagreement over playing time. He believes the relationship failed because the forward did not meet the standards he expected from a player around whom he had initially planned.
The claims represent Ten Hag’s account of their relationship. Ronaldo’s perspective on the broader dispute had previously been made public through his own interview, in which he criticised the manager and the club’s leadership.