Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has responded to recent criticism from former club superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that the Portuguese forward is “far away in Saudi Arabia” and may not fully understand the current situation at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, who now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, shared his thoughts on Manchester United during a podcast hosted by former United defender Rio Ferdinand. He suggested that the club needs a complete rebuild and criticized Ten Hag for not being sufficiently motivating to the players.
“Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League,” Ronaldo remarked. “You have to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.”
In response, Ten Hag dismissed Ronaldo’s comments, emphasizing the distance—both physical and perhaps ideological—between them. “He said that Manchester United can’t win the Premier League,” Ten Hag noted. “He is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester, so everyone can have an opinion and is entitled to have an opinion. It is okay.”
The Dutch manager is currently under pressure after United lost two of their first three Premier League matches in the 2024-25 season. Despite signing a contract extension until 2026 and receiving public backing from club CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, speculation about his future has intensified.
“It doesn’t impact me,” Ten Hag said regarding the criticisms. “I know where we are in the process and where we’re going. We’re in a transition period; we have to integrate a lot of young players into the team. We have to bring the injured players back into the team. Before anyone thinks about excuses, we have to win every game, I know that. The team knows this. We will focus on every game and have the mindset that we have to win.”
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Ten Hag fires back at Ronaldo's remarks: He's far away in Saudi Arabia
cgtn.com
