Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag dismissed recent criticism from Cristiano Ronaldo, who questioned the club’s ambition under the Dutch coach. Ronaldo, now playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, made the comments during a podcast with former United teammate Rio Ferdinand, criticizing Ten Hag’s approach and calling for the club to “rebuild everything.”
Ronaldo said, “Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the (Premier) League or Champions League. You have to be, 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.”
Ten Hag, who took over as United manager in 2022, has previously expressed confidence in winning more silverware after securing the League Cup and FA Cup in the past two seasons. However, he has also acknowledged that his team is still in a transitional phase, needing time to compete at the highest level consistently.
When asked about Ronaldo’s remarks during a press conference on Thursday, Ten Hag played down the comments. “He’s far away in Saudi, far from Manchester,” Ten Hag said. “Everyone is entitled to have an opinion. It’s OK.”
Ronaldo’s criticism followed a difficult international break for United, immediately after their 3-0 home loss to Liverpool, a bitter defeat that added to their poor start to the season, with two losses in their first three league games. Despite these setbacks, Ten Hag remained unfazed by Ronaldo’s comments. “It doesn’t impact me,” he stated. “I know in the process where we are, what we have to do, where we are going.”
Ten Hag emphasized the need for patience, as United continue to integrate younger players and manage a series of injuries. “We are still in a transition period. We have to integrate a lot of young players also in the team,” he explained. “We have to bring the injuries back in the team… But before anyone thinks about excuses, no, we have to win every game.”
The Dutchman made it clear that despite the ongoing challenges, the team’s focus remains on winning. “I know that, the team knows this, and it doesn’t matter who is available. We will focus on every game and have in every game the mindset that we have to win.”
United finished eighth in the Premier League last season, their worst campaign in decades, and have not won the league since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. As they prepare for an upcoming match against Southampton, they will continue to be without key players Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund, though new signing Manuel Ugarte could make his debut after featuring for Uruguay during the international break.
