Erik ten Hag has made explosive claims about Cristiano Ronaldo’s behaviour during their time at Manchester United. The former manager accused Ronaldo of failing to meet training demands, influencing teammates and letting the club down.

Ten Hag accuses Ronaldo of skipping training and letting Man Utd down

Erik ten Hag has launched a strong attack on Cristiano Ronaldo, accusing the Portuguese superstar of skipping training sessions, failing to meet fitness demands and letting Manchester United down during their time together.

The former United manager made the shocking claims in a new interview with The Athletic, published on October 20, 2026.

Nearly four years after their famous disagreement at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has revealed new details about Ronaldo’s behaviour behind the scenes.

According to the Dutch coach, Ronaldo’s attitude towards training and team discipline became a serious problem during his final months at Manchester United.

Ten Hag accuses Ronaldo of letting Man Utd down

Speaking to The Athletic, Ten Hag admitted that he initially wanted Ronaldo to play an important role in his plans.

Before taking charge of United in 2022, the Dutchman even travelled to Portugal to discuss his ideas with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

He explained that he respected Ronaldo’s achievements and considered him one of football’s greatest players.

However, their relationship quickly became difficult.

“He let the team down, and he let me down,” Ten Hag said.

The former manager explained that he had expected Ronaldo to follow the same rules and standards as the rest of the squad.

But according to Ten Hag, the Portuguese forward failed to meet those expectations.

Ronaldo accused of skipping training and fitness work

One of the most serious claims involved Ronaldo’s attitude during training.

Ten Hag alleged that Ronaldo sometimes withdrew from training sessions and failed to reach the required heart-rate levels during fitness exercises.

He also revealed an incident following Manchester United’s embarrassing 4-0 defeat against Brentford in August 2022.

After that loss, Ten Hag ordered his players to complete a demanding running exercise.

According to the Dutchman, Ronaldo completed only two of the three required laps.

Ten Hag claimed that Ronaldo’s poor preparation affected his ability to move into dangerous attacking positions and help the team without the ball.

However, these remain accusations made by the former manager rather than independently confirmed findings about Ronaldo’s fitness or professionalism.

Ten Hag claims Ronaldo influenced his teammates

The former Manchester United boss also made another surprising accusation.

According to Ten Hag, Ronaldo encouraged other players to save energy during training sessions.

He claimed Ronaldo told his teammates:

“Save your legs at the training.”

Ten Hag explained that experienced players sometimes need to manage their physical condition.

However, he believed players should first reach the required fitness level before reducing their training intensity.

The Dutchman suggested that Ronaldo’s approach could have influenced other players and made it harder to maintain discipline within the squad.

He insisted that even the biggest football stars must work for the benefit of the entire team.

Ronaldo and Ten Hag’s relationship broke down in 2022

The new accusations have brought attention back to one of Manchester United’s biggest controversies.

Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in 2021, but his second spell ended badly after Ten Hag became manager.

During the 2022/23 season, the Portuguese superstar became increasingly frustrated with his limited playing time.

He also attracted criticism for leaving Old Trafford before the end of a match against Tottenham after refusing to come on as a substitute.

The situation became even more serious when Ronaldo gave a controversial interview to Piers Morgan.

During that interview, Ronaldo publicly criticised Ten Hag and said he did not respect the Dutchman because he felt the manager had not respected him.

Manchester United eventually announced Ronaldo’s departure by mutual agreement on November 22, 2022.

The forward later joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

Ten Hag explains why he took action against Ronaldo

Despite Ronaldo’s legendary status, Ten Hag insisted that he had to put the interests of Manchester United first.

He explained that top players deserve support from their teammates, but they must also meet the demands of the team.

For Ten Hag, Ronaldo’s achievements were not enough to excuse what he saw as a lack of preparation and discipline.

The Dutchman suggested that his decision to reduce Ronaldo’s playing time was based on the player’s physical condition and performances.

He believed that allowing any player to ignore team standards would create bigger problems inside the dressing room.

Has Cristiano Ronaldo responded to Ten Hag?

At the time the interview was published, Ronaldo had not issued a confirmed public response to the latest accusations.

The Athletic reported that Ten Hag’s comments had been shared with Ronaldo’s representative, but no reply had been received before publication.

That means the new claims currently represent Ten Hag’s account of what happened during their time together at Manchester United.

Ronaldo has previously defended himself and publicly criticised the Dutch manager over their relationship in 2022.

However, it remains unclear whether he will respond directly to these latest comments.

Old Manchester United controversy returns

Nearly four years after Ronaldo’s departure, the disagreement between the Portuguese superstar and Erik ten Hag continues to attract attention.

Ten Hag’s latest interview has revealed new allegations about training sessions, fitness standards and Ronaldo’s influence inside the dressing room.

However, Ronaldo has not yet publicly answered these specific claims, meaning both sides have not presented their full accounts of the latest controversy.

The Dutchman’s comments have once again raised questions about what really happened behind the scenes at Old Trafford.

Now, football fans are waiting to see whether Cristiano Ronaldo will respond to the man who played a major role in his controversial Manchester United exit.