Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has blamed Cristiano Ronaldo’s lack of fitness and preparation for the forward’s struggles during his second stint at the club, saying the Portugal international “let the team down”.

The forward won three Premier League titles under Alex Ferguson before leaving United for Real Madrid in 2009, and returned to Old Trafford in 2021.

But under Dutchman ten Hag, Ronaldo struggled in the 2022-23 season, scoring once in 10 league appearances before leaving the club in November 2022.

“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” ten Hag told The Athletic in an interview published on Oct 20.

Reuters has contacted Ronaldo’s representatives for comment. Now 41, he plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Ten Hag, who guided United to a third-place league finish in 2022-23, said he had confronted Ronaldo about the player’s performance.

“Many times I say, ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can’t bring yourself in the box, you can’t score.’ He was not capable to do this,” said the 56-year-old, who was appointed by United in May 2022 and sacked in October 2024.

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

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December 2022 and scored 14 league goals in 16 appearances before the end of the season.

“Obviously, he’s one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admire in,” said ten Hag.

Ronaldo, Portugal’s all-time leading scorer with 146 goals, was handed a 30-day ban by the country’s football federation on Oct 19 after he left the national team camp following a rift with coach Jorge Jesus.

He is expected to play for Al-Nassr in a Saudi Pro League game later on Oct 20. He is 19 goals short of scoring 1,000 in his career.

In his only managerial role after leaving United, ten Hag was dismissed by Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen after just three games in September 2025. He is now technical director of Dutch Eredivisie side Twente. REUTERS