Erik Ten Hag Makes Startling Confession About Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has publicly come to the defense of Cristiano Ronaldo saying that the Portuguese superstar was never the problem when they were together at Old Trafford in an unexpected contrast to the previous sniping tension. His comments are made over two years after Ronaldo left Juventus in high profile fashion to Al Nassr in 2023, an exit that rocked the football world.

“Forget about the past”

Nevertheless, even though the fallback story of the falling out, featuring a rocky outburst caused by a combustive interview and dissimilarities on pitch, Ten Hag now presents the past as something to forget about. “To me he is no problem.” The latter was never the issue and he believes that was in the past as he stressed on the successes that came afterwards, including two domestic titles at United.

The second tenure of Ronaldo in United was not a smooth one as it began in the year 2021. Though he contributed 19 goals in a single season in the Premier League, the constituent tension escalated, leading to his unexpected departure and major success in Saudi Arabia. Tension climaxed with an interview where Ronaldo declared himself to have felt betrayed by Ten Hag and senior members of staff, and asserted that he does not respect the manager.

The cold war between ten hag and ronaldo

To put more context into it, Ten Hag has admitted that Ronaldo never actually approached him directly and said that he wished to leave following which he only realised the extent of the rift after watching the heated interview. This insight begs the interesting question, would more effective communication have helped to retain the star at United preventing one of the most controversial break ups of recent football history?

Also seen in Ronaldo’s final days at Old Trafford was that now infamous moment of refusing to go on as a substitute against Tottenham-walking off the pitch before the final whistle. This compelled Ten Hag to alienate him to the first team to the extent of not allowing him to enter the dressing room and the drama became one too real to ignore.

Maybe ronaldo was never the problem

Although the atmosphere could be described as emotional, Ten Hag also focuses on the positive since the club has captured two trophies even during his reign. It is a sign that success can be met by controversy and it might also soften the message that Ronaldo was a disease.

Nowadays, Ten Hag concentrates on his new story with the management of Bayer Leverkusen. His words, however, about Ronaldo contain more than closure, they are indicative of maturity, generosity and a willingness to look ahead. As he told her explicitly: I hope all event will favour him in the future. It is an uncommon olive branch in the brutal football world.

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