“He was not running.” Ten Hag reveals the details of his dispute with Ronaldo

Former Manchester United coach, Erik Ten Hag, revealed the details of his dispute with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo during his leadership of the English club.

Ronaldo had returned to the ranks of the “Red Devils” in August 2021, to play under the supervision of the Dutch coach, but the latter excluded him from some matches following a dispute between them.

Ronaldo terminated his contract with Manchester United in November 2022 by mutual consent, while Erik Ten Hag left his position in October 2024.

In statements reported by the "TNT SPORTS" network, Eric Ten Hag said about his dispute with Ronaldo: "He let the team down, and he let me down too, because we made plans with him. I traveled to Portugal to talk to him about what I aspired to before joining Manchester United."

He added: "It is clear that he is one of the best players in the history of football. I had great respect for him, but at that time, as a coach, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admired."

He continued: "I told him a lot: Everyone wants to work with you to put you in the right place, but if you cannot enter the penalty area yourself, you will not be able to score."

The Dutch coach added: "He was not able to do that. It is wrong for me to be told that I expected him to put pressure on the opponent, or that he was exhausted, but he could not. He did not run, neither with the ball nor without it, and the reason is that he did not prepare himself well."

He continued: "Every big team must embrace the best player, but the best player must work for the team."

Ten Hag explained that Ronaldo used to tell the players, "Save your energy in training. I understand that when you are at the peak of your physical fitness, you have training sessions. You can save your energy, but you must first train yourself to reach the appropriate fitness levels."

He concluded: "The players must act. They bear a great responsibility. Football is not, for some, the highest priority, and Manchester United was not, for some, the highest priority."