Erik ten Hag admitted Cristiano Ronaldo was not “the problem” during his tumultuous two-and-a-half- year reign at Manchester United.
Ten Hag made headlines for all the wrong reasons while in charge of Manchester United. From poor results to controversial comments and a public falling out with Ronaldo, Ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford undoubtedly fell well short of expectations.
Ronaldo, who rejoined United in 2021, only lasted 15 months in a red shirt before he made the move to Al Nassr, criticising both the club and Ten Hag on his way out.
Ten Hag was later sacked in Oct. 2024 amid the Red Devils’ continued struggles, which persisted long after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left. As the new boss of Bayer Leverkusen, the Dutchman addressed his previous fall-out with Ronaldo.
“For me [Ronaldo’s] no problem. He was never the problem and I think that’s the past,” Ten Hag said following Bayer Leverkusen’s 2–0 defeat to Chelsea in a pre-season friendly.
“I think it was what happened. It’s the past and after that, we won two trophies at Manchester United. I wish him all the best for the for the future and I wish him the best of luck,” Ten Hag added.
The Red Devils went on to win the Carabao Cup and FA Cup following Ronaldo’s exit, but the two trophies were not enough to keep Ten Hag’s job. The club appointed Ruben Amorim as his replacement, but it still failed to improve, finishing 15th in the Premier League last season.
“It’s not about Manchester United, that is closed,” Ten Hag concluded. “I’m looking forward and I’m really happy to be back [in work]. I’m really enjoying the last couple of weeks.
“We have a good club [Leverkusen]. We have a good team and we will improve.”
As Ten Hag embarks on a new challenge with Bayer Leverkusen, Ronaldo continues to star for both Portugal and Al Nassr in his quest to become the first male player in history to score 1,000 career goals. The Real Madrid legend found the back of the net 27 times in his second stint at Old Trafford, but still felt “betrayed” by the club following fallout with Ten Hag.
“I don’t have respect for [Ten Hag] because he doesn’t show respect for me,” Ronaldo said back in 2022. “If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.”
Ronaldo has yet to address or respond to Ten Hag’s most recent comments.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘The Problem’—Erik ten Hag Reflects on Cristiano Ronaldo Feud at Man Utd.