Ten Hag accuses Ronaldo of failing fitness standards at Manchester United

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of letting down both the club and himself during their time together, citing the Portuguese forward's failure to meet fitness and training standards.

In an exclusive interview with The Athletic published on October 20, 2026, ten Hag said: "He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him. I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United." Ten Hag took charge of Manchester United in the summer of 2022, when Ronaldo was already in his second spell at the club, having returned from Juventus in August 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The relationship deteriorated quickly, leading to Ronaldo's departure in November 2022.

Ten Hag detailed specific concerns about Ronaldo's physical condition and commitment. He alleged that Ronaldo sometimes withdrew from training sessions and failed to achieve required heart rate levels. Ten Hag recounted an incident after United's 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022, when players were required to run laps as punishment; according to ten Hag, Ronaldo completed only two of three laps. The manager also claimed Ronaldo discouraged teammates from full effort during training, saying "save your legs at training." Ten Hag stated: "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'." Ten Hag acknowledged Ronaldo's historical standing in football while maintaining that top players must fulfill their responsibilities to the team: "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."

The breakdown between the pair came to a head in October 2022 when Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham. He was subsequently dropped for a Premier League match at Chelsea, prompting a controversial November interview in which Ronaldo claimed he felt "betrayed" by United and did not respect ten Hag. His contract was mutually terminated the following month. Under ten Hag's management, Ronaldo scored three goals in 16 outings during the 2022-23 campaign.

Ten Hag's comments coincide with separate developments: Ronaldo was recently given a 30-day suspension and fined €255 (£215) by the Portuguese Football Federation for leaving the country's international camp last month. Additionally, ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United in October 2024 after winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. In the same interview, ten Hag also alleged that unfulfilled promises from United's ownership regarding player acquisitions and squad management contributed to his departure.