Ex-Man United coach reveals main reason behind fallout between Cristiano Ronaldo & Erik ten Hag
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Ronaldo endured a dismal period in his second stint at United.
The source of the conflict between Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag, which ultimately resulted in CR7 cutting his ties with the Red Devils, has been disclosed by former Manchester United coach Steve McClaren.
At Old Trafford, the Portuguese legend and the Dutch tactician had a falling out, which resulted in Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from the club after his second stint. At that point, Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract was terminated, allowing him to finally join the Saudi Pro League.
Former coach discloses reason behind Ronaldo’s standoff with Erik ten Hag
McClaren, who worked with Ten Hag after serving as Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man at Old Trafford, described how a tense relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and his manager at Manchester finally fell apart in an interview with The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast:
“I used to say to Ronnie, ‘all he [Ten Hag] wants you to do is, you’re the first press, make one run, make two runs, and maybe make a third one, if you feel like it. And then, recover back into the middle, in case we win the ball, and then we can play to you. That’s all he wants you to do. If you can’t do that, you won’t be playing. Or if you won’t do that, you can’t be playing. Okay, or he [Ten Hag] won’t pick you. I’m telling you, he won’t pick you’.”
“It’s not like, I think other people would, and that’s the difference, other people would. But Erik was, no, I’m doing that, and he’s [Ronaldo] got to do it, otherwise he doesn’t play. It was a little bit of a fight. Not a fight, but a standoff, and who is going to win? Erik stuck to his guns. I think most managers would accommodate to that. Some managers are like that. But he stuck to his guns.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, was accused of deliberately orchestrating his departure from Old Trafford. He was upset about returning to United, a club that is a far cry from the one he left for Real Madrid in 2009.
What led to Cristiano Ronaldo’s standoff with Ten Hag?
Ten Hag wanted Ronaldo to press higher up the pitch, which the Portuguese star didn’t do.
When did Ronaldo leave United?
He left them in 2022.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.