Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he travelled to Portugal to meet Cristiano Ronaldo personally and discuss his plans for the team before taking charge at Old Trafford in 2022.

Ten Hag disclosed this in an interview with The Athletic on October 20, recalling how he had involved the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in his plans before assuming the managerial role.

The Dutchman, however, said Ronaldo eventually let him and the team down despite their discussions before his appointment.

“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him. I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United,” Ten Hag said.

Ronaldo was in his second spell at Manchester United when Ten Hag took over as manager in the summer of 2022.

Their relationship deteriorated in October that year after Ten Hag dropped the forward for a Premier League match against Chelsea. The decision followed Ronaldo’s refusal to come on as a substitute during United’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.

In November 2022, Ronaldo gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan on Uncensored, in which he criticised Ten Hag, saying he had no respect for the manager and felt “betrayed” by the club.

He subsequently left Manchester United by mutual agreement.

Ten Hag also rejected suggestions that he expected Ronaldo to lead United’s pressing, arguing that the forward had not adequately prepared himself to meet the team’s physical demands.

“It’s the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he’s exhausted,” he said. “But he couldn’t. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was that he didn’t prepare himself.”

The former United manager added that while top players should be accommodated, they must also contribute to the team’s collective effort.

“Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team,” he said.

The interview comes after Ronaldo was reportedly handed a 30-day suspension and fined €255 by the Portuguese Football Federation over his departure from the national team’s international camp last month.

Ten Hag was dismissed by Manchester United in October 2024 after winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. Ronaldo scored three goals in 16 appearances under the Dutchman before leaving the club during the 2022-23 season.