Erik ten Hag says he lacked support at Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo let him down

Erik ten Hag has criticised Manchester United’s hierarchy and said Cristiano Ronaldo disappointed both the club and him during the Dutchman’s time as manager.

Ten Hag managed United from summer 2022 until October 2024, winning the FA Cup and the English League Cup during his two years in charge.

In an interview with The Athletic, he said the club failed to back his disciplinary decisions involving players including Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

“I did not receive support over the sanctions imposed on players such as Sancho and Rashford,” said Ten Hag. “They continued to reinforce a toxic culture and gave the players power.”

He described Rashford as “an amazing player” when his mentality was right, but added that “sometimes you have to make corrections”.

Ten Hag also spoke critically about Ronaldo, who left Manchester United in November 2022.

“Ronaldo let the team down, and he let me down too, because we had planned with him,” he said. “I travelled to Portugal to discuss what I wanted to achieve before joining Manchester United. Clearly, he is one of the best players in football history and I had enormous respect for him. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision.”

Ten Hag said Ronaldo withdrew from training and failed to reach the required standard after United’s 4-0 defeat by Brentford in August 2022. He completed only two of the three scheduled running laps.

“I confronted Ronaldo and repeatedly told him: everyone wants to help you and put you in the right position, but if you cannot position yourself in the penalty area, you will not score,” Ten Hag said. “He could not do that. It is wrong to say I expected him to press, or that he was tired. He could not do it. He did not run with the ball or without it because he had not prepared himself properly.”

Ten Hag said elite teams must accommodate their best players, but those players must also work for the team. Ronaldo had told team-mates to save their energy in training, he added, but players first needed to train themselves to reach the required fitness levels.

The former manager also accused United’s hierarchy of breaking promises over loyalty and continued support. He said he was embarrassed and deeply disappointed when Scott McTominay was sold, despite opposing the move because of the midfielder’s mentality and goalscoring ability.

He said Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival brought administrative changes, including a new chief executive and sporting director. After meeting Ratcliffe at Carrington, Ten Hag said rumours spread weekly that United were interviewing potential replacements before the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City.

United won the final, with Ten Hag describing the celebrations at Wembley as his best moment at the club.

He said his main recruitment priorities had been centre-back, midfield and, above all, goals. Frenkie de Jong was his first midfield choice but rejected a move, while West Ham United did not want to sell Declan Rice. His only attacking target was Harry Kane, whom he heard was very keen. Ten Hag denied being involved in financial negotiations.

On United’s current situation, he said dismissing Michael Carrick would not be the answer. “The fans will call for it if results do not improve, but rational decisions must be made,” he said. “He has shown good coaching ability at Middlesbrough and last season, so he should continue his work.”