Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reignited his long-standing feud with Cristiano Ronaldo. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
Reflecting on their turbulent time together at Old Trafford, the Dutchman suggested that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been unable to perform at the highest level since he left Juventus.
Ten Hag added that Ronaldo’s unwillingness to adapt to the rigorous fitness standards required at the Carrington training ground triggered their fallout.
His words, “The players wanted to work for him and looked up to him because he is one of the greats of all time.
But over the last seven or eight years, he simply can no longer deliver. From Juventus, it’s simply over.
When I started at Man United, I explained to him how we were going to play and what his role in that would be.
But ultimately, you have to deliver. But he could no longer bring himself to push through the pain to give everything every single day and to train at his maximum.
And if you are not fit to play in the Premier League, you have no chance.
Well, that was the image. But he could no longer bring himself to do that. You show him what is required, and he knows it too, and you come to him with arguments that hold up.
No, he doesn’t say that [I wasn’t good enough] because the evidence was so clear.
So he had to make a choice. At that moment, I have to make a decision that is in the best interests of the club and of the team.
I know that I did everything I could to persuade him, but the choice is with the individual as to whether he wants to make that investment.
And if you don’t want to, I have to make different choices in the interest of the team, and that’s what we saw.”
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