Former Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of failing to prepare adequately for matches during their time together at Old Trafford, claiming the Portuguese forward discouraged teammates from pushing themselves in training.
Ten Hag made the comments while reflecting on his difficult relationship with Ronaldo, whose second spell at United ended in November 2022 following a controversial interview in which he criticised the club and the manager.
According to reports, Ten Hag said he confronted Ronaldo over his movement and ability to get into scoring positions, insisting the forward needed to improve his fitness and work rate.
“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 said.
The Dutch coach rejected suggestions that he expected Ronaldo to perform excessive pressing duties, arguing that the issue was the player’s overall contribution both on and off the ball.
“He ran neither in possession nor out of possession,” Ten Hag said, attributing the problem to what he described as inadequate preparation.
Ten Hag further alleged that Ronaldo advised other players to conserve their energy during training sessions.
“He was telling the players, ‘Save your legs at the training’,” the former United boss said.
While acknowledging that managing physical exertion can be important for elite players, Ten Hag maintained that footballers must first train sufficiently to reach the required fitness levels.
