Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo let Manchester United down

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United from Juventus in 2021, aged 36, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was manager, according to the BBC. His subsequent spell under Erik ten Hag became a source of tension.

Ten Hag has now described that relationship as strained at times and accused Ronaldo of having "let the team down", ESPN FC reported. The comments give the former manager's account of a difficult period at the club.

During the 2022 to 2023 campaign, Ronaldo left United after scoring three goals in 16 appearances under Ten Hag, according to the BBC. Those figures provide the playing context for the relationship Ten Hag is now discussing.

In coverage published on 20 October 2026, L'Équipe reported that Ten Hag had revisited their difficulties in an interview. His criticism was personal as well as collective: he said Ronaldo had let both the team and him down.

Ten Hag's account includes a claim that Ronaldo did not complete a run after a match, Guardian Sport reported. DER SPIEGEL also reported his criticism of Ronaldo's fitness.

The interview went beyond Ronaldo. Ten Hag claimed United had broken promises made to him, according to Guardian Sport, while Express & Star described his remarks as his first in-depth discussion of the end of his time at the club.

The latest development is a retrospective account from Ten Hag, rather than a new dispute involving a current United manager. Sky Sports described the interview as an account of the issues the former manager had with Ronaldo.

The supplied coverage does not include a response from Ronaldo or United to these specific claims. It also provides little detail about the promises Ten Hag says were broken, leaving that part of his criticism less fully explained than his complaints about Ronaldo.