Questions Over Fitness and Commitment
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has shared his thoughts on working with Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford. Ten Hag stated that he did not believe the Portuguese star was fit or committed enough during their time together at the club.
According to the Dutch manager, Ronaldo could no longer deliver on the pitch after leaving Juventus in 2021. He added that the common belief about Ronaldo constantly pushing his physical limits is not entirely true, calling it mostly an image.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United from Juventus and scored 27 goals in 54 matches across all competitions. He played under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag during that spell. However, Ten Hag explained that top players must work for the team, and that became a clear problem with Ronaldo.
A Strained Relationship and Departure
Ten Hag regularly left Ronaldo out of the starting lineup during the final months of their time together. Manchester United terminated Ronaldo's contract in November 2022. That decision came after Ronaldo gave an interview to Piers Morgan, where he said he felt betrayed by Ten Hag and criticized the hierarchy of the club.
Ten Hag praised Real Madrid for how they handled Ronaldo earlier in his career. He noted that Real Madrid always know when to say goodbye to players at the right moment, even while those players still appear to be at their peak to the outside world.
When Ronaldo returned to England at age 36, he missed early preparations due to personal circumstances. Ten Hag said Ronaldo arrived very late, was not fit, and could no longer bring himself to train at his maximum or push through the pain.
Team Priority and Messi Comparison
Ten Hag pointed out that the Premier League demands high intensity. He explained that Ronaldo could still finish chances, but he could no longer keep up with the physical power required to get into the box consistently.
The manager also mentioned Lionel Messi when discussing team effort. He noted how Messi worked hard for Argentina, saying that every top player must yield to the team because no individual is bigger than a club or a country.
Ten Hag was sacked nine games into the season with Manchester United sitting 14th in the Premier League, and he is currently working as the technical director for Dutch side FC Twente. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was recently suspended for 30 days and fined 255 euros by the Portuguese Football Federation after walking out on the national team in October, though he remains available for future selection.
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