Dutch manager Erik ten Hag has returned to the period of his management of the English first football team Manchester United, stating that Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr, "let them down" and "personally let me down."
In the same context, Ten Hag, who currently manages Twente in his country, said in an interview with "The Athletic" website that Ronaldo missed some training sessions, did not raise his heart rate to the required level, and did not complete all the prescribed laps after the loss to Brentford.
For his part, the former Ajax Amsterdam manager, who took charge of United in 2022 before being sacked in 2024, explained that he traveled to Portugal to speak with Ronaldo about his goals, confirming that he made a rational decision to keep the players he liked within the team.
Ten Hag added that he confronted the player many times about the need to place himself inside the penalty area to score goals, noting that Ronaldo was unable to run whether with or without the ball because he had not prepared himself properly.
The Dutchman believed that every big team must embrace its big star, but the star must also work for the team, clarifying that United was not the top priority for some players.
The manager's comments come days after the Portuguese Football Federation decided to suspend Ronaldo for 30 days for leaving his national team camp during the last international break, and imposing a fine of 255 euros.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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