Former Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has spoken candidly about the impact that the criticism of former club legends has on the club and current players.

In the second part of an interview with The Athletic -- the first part in which he had said that Cristiano Ronaldo "let United down" during his second spell at the club -- Ten Hag said that pundits who often commented on the events at United, sometimes with harsh words, were part of the club's history and "do not always know what's going on."

"It's everywhere the same; they always want to protect their legacies," the ex-Ajax head coach said. "It's no different than Bayern Munich or Ajax; they do the same. But they are [part of United's] history, and they do not always know what's going on. Football evolves.

"For United, it's clear: they had great contributions, they achieved massive results, trophies for the club and for themselves, so I respect them."

Former United players -- who were all part of the hugely successful Sir Alex Ferguson era -- that regularly pass comment on the club include Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes.

Neville hosts The Overlap podcast, while Keane is part of its permanent panel. They are both regular pundits on Sky Sports and have been known to sharply criticise United in recent years.

Keane labelled the club a "circus" following Lisandro Martínez's outburst that slammed the club hierarchy, after a defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.

"They're obviously not together," Keane said on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast. "It is chaotic there from the top to the bottom. We go there on match days and I don't like the feeling around the club.

"It just seems chaotic -- statements can reflect it. It was chaotic with how they got to [Michael] Carrick as their manager.

"We said from day one there were better options out there, and maybe the players are looking at there's better options as players out there. It's chaos, it's like a circus."

In September, Neville branded United's second-half display against Fulham in a 1-1 draw as the "worst 15 minutes" he's ever seen a United team play.

Ten Hag said that some United players would get irritated with the commentary by former club heroes but also claimed that he himself had a good relationship with the pundits.

"I have to say, I had a very good relationship with them all, with Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand. I did nice interviews with them both, so it didn't hurt me. Of course, they have podcasts, they have their models. Sometimes it's difficult for players. Some of them get affected by it, get annoyed by it.

"They achieved massive successes. But also, they can help the club more, help the players more. There should be two ways that they support it. But I think always the thing you most love, you most criticise."

Under the leadership of Michael Carrick this season, United have only won two of the 10 games they've played across all competitions.

They were beaten by newly-promoted Hull on the first day of the new Premier League season and failed to beat both Manchester City and Tottenham when both of those sides went down to 10 men.