Erik ten Hag responds to Cristiano Ronaldo's comments: Details here
Manchester United manager has responded to Cristiano Ronaldo's comments about him. Ronaldo raised questions about ten Hag's mentality and approach. He expressed his dissatisfaction on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. To this, the Man United manager said Ronaldo is far away in Saudi Arabia and that everyone can have and is entitled to have an opinion. Ten Hag said this during a press conference.
This is what Ronaldo had said
Ronaldo said in the podcast, "The coach says they cannot compete to win the [Premier] League and Champions League. As Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you're not going to fight to win the league or Champions League." "Mentally [you can] say maybe we don't have that potential, but I cannot say that. We're going to try, you have to try," he added.
He [Ronaldo] is far away in Saudi, says ten Hag
When asked about this, ten Hag opined, "He said Manchester United can't win it? No, he said it. He [Ronaldo] is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester. Everyone can have and is entitled to have an opinion, it is okay."
Ronaldo called for complete overhaul of Manchester United
Ronaldo believes that a complete overhaul is necessary for the club to regain its competitive edge. He stated, "They need to rebuild everything, in my opinion." He also expressed his approval of the club's decision to bring former teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy into ten Hag's backroom staff. Ronaldo emphasized the importance of having old players who understand the club involved in its redevelopment efforts.
'We will see where we are in May next year'
Ten Hag said it's too early in the season to judge the club. "We will see where we are in May next year, it is very early in the season and it is about winning trophies, be as high as possible in the league, do everything to win every game and then we will see in May where we are in the league."
Ten Hag not impacted by outside noise
Ten Hag also said outside noise doesn;t impact him. "It doesn't impact me, I know in the process where we are, what we have to do, where we are going. We are still in a transition process, we have to integrate a lot of young players. We still have to deal with injuries and bring players back into the team," he said.
Man United have started poorly this season
In the current season, Man United will compete in the UEFA Europa League and have won one of their three Premier League games so far (L2). They also lost on penalties to Manchester City in the FA Community Shield.
