Cristiano Ronaldo has hit out at Erik ten Hag and claims the Manchester United manager is wrong for writing off his side’s hopes of winning the Premier League.
Ronaldo and Ten Hag clashed on several occasions during their time together at United and the 39-year-old openly criticised the Dutchman in an interview with Piers Morgan shortly before leaving Old Trafford to join the Saudi Pro League.
Ten Hag has since guided United to two trophies by winning the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, but the 54-year-old is under pressure due to his side’s inconsistent form in the Premier League.
And Ronaldo believes Ten Hag’s mentality is letting the United players down.
‘To prove that I’m right or wrong, this is not my issue anymore. I say what I have to say and for me it’s done,’ Ronaldo said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
‘But to be honest with you, what I wish for Manchester, it’s what I wish for me. The best they can make, again the best team they can and I love that club, you know, I’m not, I’m not that kind of guy that forgot the past.
‘But as I told you, Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the League and Champions League.
‘Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League. You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.’
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has all but written off United’s hopes of winning the Premier League or the Europa League this season.
‘I believe that the future will be bright. I believe, but they don’t depend only on the talents. It’s more than that,’ Ronaldo said.
‘It’s all club, all, not only players, club, everything as a unit, united. You know? They have to rebuild from the bottom.
‘If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible.
‘They can do good things, yes, they can win Carabao, yeah, but I mean, Champions League or Europa League or Premier League, difficult, in my opinion. And I wish that I’m wrong, I wish, but will be difficult.’
Ronaldo, however, praised the decision to bring in Ruud van Nistelrooy as part of the coaching staff and has urged Ten Hag to seek advice from the former United striker.
‘If Ten Hag listen to Ruud, maybe he can [help himself],’ Ronaldo said.
‘I think it can help a lot because he knows the club and the club should listen [to] the guys who were there.
‘You [Rio] or Roy Keane or Paul Scholes or Gary Neville, whatever, Sir Alex Ferguson. You cannot, you cannot rebuild a club without knowledge. Not guys who work in office. They understand.
‘The people who understand the football, it was, 99 per cent is the people who were there in the dressing room. They know how to deal with the players. It’s the people who understand these things.
‘So I believe that Ruud is going to help because he was inside the club. He knows the club. He knows the fans. If the coach listens to him, I think they can improve a little bit the club.’
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