Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has defended Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that the Portuguese player was not the cause of any problems during their time together at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo re-signed with United in 2021, and Ten Hag took over the following year.
The forward’s second spell came to an end in late 2022 when they mutually agreed to terminate his contract just before the World Cup, after a public argument with the Dutch coach.
Ronaldo, however, managed to find the net 19 times in 40 Premier League games and provided three assists out of 32 created chances in his comeback.
Ten Hag, who led United to EFL Cup and FA Cup victories, was fired in October 2024 after a disappointing start to the new Premier League campaign.
After that, he took over at Bayer Leverkusen and comfortably moved on.“To me, he’s not a problem. He was never the problem and that is the past,” Ten Hag stated. “Then, we won two trophies at Manchester United. I wish him the best of luck for the future.”These words are indicative of a mutual respect between the two former protagonists after a rough period in United’s recent history.
