Erik Ten Hag: “Cristiano Ronaldo was never the problem” at Manchester United
Former Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo “was never the problem” during his two-and-a-half-year spell at the Old Trafford club.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021, and his relationship with Ten Hag became openly difficult, which ultimately led to his departure by mutual agreement a year later.
The Dutch coach was dismissed by United last October, after a bad start to the 2024-25 season. He currently manages Bayer Leverkusen, a Bundesliga team.
“For me, he [Ronaldo] is not a problem. He was never the problem and I think that is in the past,” Ten Hag told reporters after Leverkusen’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in a friendly at Stamford Bridge on Friday.
Erik Ten Hag
“I think that’s what happened. It’s the past and after that, we won two trophies at Manchester United. I wish him all the best for the future and I wish him the best of luck.”
Despite the fractious end to his time at United, Ten Hag led the club to two domestic trophies: the League Cup in 2023 and a surprising FA Cup victory against Manchester City in 2024.
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“You have to ask the club [about their trophy history in relation to Leverkusen], but I certainly love winning trophies and that’s what I’ve been doing all my career and I want to continue with this process and that’s my challenge with Leverkusen to do the same,” said Ten Hag.
“It’s not about Manchester United, that’s closed. I’m looking forward and I’m very happy to be back. I’m really enjoying the last few weeks.”
“We have a good club [Leverkusen], we have a good team and we will improve.”
Ten Hag’s first official match in charge of Leverkusen will be against SG Sonnenhof in the first round of the DFB Pokal on August 15, before facing TSG Hoffenheim in their Bundesliga opener a week later.
