According to The Athletic on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Ten Hag explained that his disagreements with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner developed because of differences over his tactical demands and the standards he expected from his players.

The Dutch coach revealed that he travelled to Portugal before officially beginning his Manchester United tenure to discuss his plans with Ronaldo. Although he respected the striker’s achievements and recognised his importance to the club, Ten Hag insisted that individual reputations could not outweigh the team's collective needs.

“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag said, describing his disappointment with the forward’s contribution.

The former Ajax manager explained that one of his concerns involved Ronaldo’s movement inside the penalty area. He believed the striker was not consistently making the necessary runs to take advantage of opportunities created by his teammates.

Ten Hag maintained that creating chances required cooperation between the entire team and the player expected to finish them. While teammates could work to deliver passes and crosses into dangerous areas, Ronaldo also needed to position himself correctly to convert those opportunities into goals.

According to the manager, the disagreement extended beyond tactical positioning to Ronaldo’s preparation and willingness to meet the physical demands of his system.

“He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn’t prepare himself,” Ten Hag claimed.

The Dutchman also alleged that Ronaldo encouraged other players to conserve their energy during training rather than undertake the demanding work required to reach the fitness levels he considered necessary.

“He was telling the players, ‘Save your legs at the training’,” Ten Hag said.

He acknowledged that managing workloads could be beneficial for players who had already achieved the required level of fitness. However, he argued that Manchester United first needed to establish the physical standards necessary to compete consistently in the Premier League.

Ten Hag stressed that successful teams must recognise the importance of their leading players while ensuring those individuals contribute to the collective effort.

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

Ronaldo returned to Manchester United from Juventus in 2021, but disagreements over his playing time, responsibilities and relationship with Ten Hag eventually intensified.

The dispute became public after Ronaldo's interview with Piers Morgan, in which he criticised the manager and claimed he had no respect for him. Manchester United subsequently terminated his contract by mutual agreement, and the forward joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.