Ten Hag breaks silence on Ronaldo rift, accusing him of refusing to prepare properly at United

Erik ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of failing to keep himself fit during the final months of his second spell at Manchester United, offering his most detailed account yet of the bust-up that ended with Ronaldo’s departure by mutual consent in November 2022.

Speaking to The Athletic, the former United manager said Ronaldo repeatedly pulled out of training sessions and did not contribute the running required in matches — not because of exhaustion, but because he had not prepared himself adequately. “He ran neither in possession nor out of possession,” Ten Hag said. “The reason was because he didn’t prepare himself.”

Ten Hag revealed he confronted Ronaldo directly on multiple occasions. “Many times I say, ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can’t bring yourself in the box, you can’t score’,” he recalled. He also claimed Ronaldo was telling teammates to conserve energy in training sessions, adding: “First you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels.”

Ronaldo’s own version of events, aired in an interview with Piers Morgan days before his exit was confirmed, was starkly different. “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me,” he said at the time, adding that he felt betrayed by people inside the club across two successive seasons.

Ten Hag also responded to fresh criticism from former United midfielder Fred, who said on the Charla Podcast that the Dutchman “argued with everyone” and favoured his Dutch players. Ten Hag did not deny the confrontations but framed them as a matter of standards. “You fight with your players when they are showing inefficient and unprepared standards. But it’s always with respect,” he said, adding that he bore no ill will toward Fred.

The comments represent the most candid Ten Hag has been about his turbulent tenure at Old Trafford, where he was sacked in October 2024 after a difficult start to the Premier League season. Ronaldo, now 40, continues to play for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.