Ten Hag breaks silence on Ronaldo, Rashford and the toxic culture he left behind at United

Erik ten Hag has delivered a frank and wide-ranging account of his time as Manchester United manager, accusing Cristiano Ronaldo of failing to prepare properly and claiming a culture of player power — rooted in former Real Madrid arrivals — undermined his work at Old Trafford. The Dutchman, now technical director at FC Twente, was sacked in October 2024, just months after winning the FA Cup and signing a contract extension, with United sitting 14th in the Premier League following a defeat to West Ham.

Speaking to The Athletic, Ten Hag said he felt let down by Ronaldo even before the veteran forward’s controversial Piers Morgan interview that preceded his departure by mutual consent. “He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag said. “Obviously, he’s one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision.”

Ten Hag questioned Ronaldo’s work ethic and willingness to train, saying: “He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn’t prepare himself.” He claimed he confronted Ronaldo about the issue on multiple occasions.

Beyond Ronaldo, Ten Hag pointed to what he described as a broader cultural problem linked to the arrivals of Casemiro and Raphaël Varane alongside the Portuguese forward. “I think that’s what the Madrid connection brought in — that players are powerful and they want to decide,” he said. “In my opinion, it didn’t suit the phase United was in.”

Ten Hag also criticised the club’s handling of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, two players with whom he had well-documented falling-outs. He accused United’s hierarchy of emboldening difficult players rather than backing his authority. “They are continuing the toxic culture, they fuel it, they give the power to the players,” he said, adding that Rashford was capable of being an “amazing player” when his mindset was right.

The interview represents Ten Hag’s most detailed public response to the circumstances of his dismissal. His tenure included the Carabao Cup triumph in 2023 and the FA Cup win in 2024, but was also marked by a 7-0 defeat at Liverpool and a persistent inability to stabilise results or the squad’s internal dynamics.