Steve McClaren takes swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo as he claims Man Utd legend fell short of Erik ten Hag’s ‘standards’
CRISTIANO RONALDO failed to meet Erik ten Hag’s standards before his acrimonious Manchester United exit.
That is according to former Red Devils assistant Steve McClaren.
McClaren, 63, was reunited with Ten Hag in 2022 when the Dutchman took over as Old Trafford boss.
Fourteen years earlier, they first met as McClaren was appointed FC Twente manager and had Ten Hag as an assistant.
So when the former Ajax chief arrived in Manchester, he brought Sir Alex Ferguson’s former No2 McClaren back to the club.
And that meant the Yorkshireman got a first-hand view of Ten Hag’s managerial approach – and saw exactly what happened with Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner infamously had his contract ripped up and he quit United midway through Ten Hag’s first season as the pair fell out.
Ronaldo refused to come on, sulked on the sidelines, left matches early and then publicly slated the manager in a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo, 39, explosively revealed he cannot respect Ten Hag because “he doesn’t show me respect” and said he felt “betrayed” by United, who had made “zero” progress since Ferguson’s exit.
McClaren, though, believes his boss was in the right as he took a swipe at Ronaldo’s behaviour.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
Speaking to The Telegraph, McClaren said: “I couldn’t fault his [Ten Hag’s] approach.
“He really handled it very well. I said at the time he was the right man to go in.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Erik ten Hag row
- May 2022 – Ten Hag leaves Ajax to become Man Utd manager
- July 2022 – Ronaldo leaves Old Trafford before end of pre-season draw with Rayo Vallecano
- August 2022 – Ronaldo tries to force through a transfer exit from Old Trafford after club failed to qualify for Champions League
- October 2022 – Ten Hag not convinced by Ronaldo and regularly benches him, including as an unused sub in 6-3 Manchester derby defeat
- October 2022 – Ronaldo refuses to come on as a sub against Tottenham and left Old Trafford early, Ten Hag then suspends star and makes him train alone
- November 2022 – Ronaldo does explosive interview with Piers Morgan, saying he cannot “respect” Ten Hag, United “betrayed” him and made “zero progress” since Fergie left
- November 2022 – Man Utd terminate Ronaldo’s £500,000-a-week contract with immediate effect
- February 2023 – Ten Hag wins Carabao Cup
- May 2024 – Ten Hag finishes eighth in Premier League but wins FA Cup to cling on to job
- September 2024 – Ronaldo slams Ten Hag for saying United are not ready to challenge for Premier League or Champions League
- September 2024 – Ten Hag hits back at Ronaldo for his own views on the state of the club, then indirectly quotes the Portuguese forward’s ketchup bottle analogy
“That was shown in the way he handled [the departure of Cristiano] Ronaldo.
“He [Ten Hag] came in with set standards. Set rules. Set way of playing. And if you didn’t run, you didn’t play.
“He was rigid on that. Which the Dutch are. He knew that was what was needed.
“There could be no flexibility, no way the players could manoeuvre [out of that responsibility].
“This is what you had to do – or you didn’t play. And he took on Ronaldo, and quite rightly.
“Other managers have tried to adapt. Erik didn’t feel it was necessary to do that.
“Ralf Rangnick had tried and it hadn’t quite worked out and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the same. So he [Ten Hag] stuck to his guns and developed other players.”
Ronaldo left Manchester United to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in December 2022.
Nine managers Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten Hag
ERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.
Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.
Gareth Southgate
Enjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.
Kieran McKenna
Talks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.
Roberto De Zerbi
Allegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.
Thomas Frank
Brentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.
Marco Silva
Fulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.
Mauricio Pochettino
Fell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Thomas Tuchel
Made a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.
Ruben Amorim
Sporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.
Roberto Martinez
Portugal manager was considered in the early stages.
Two months later, Ten Hag led United to the Carabao Cup, ending a six-year trophy drought for the Red Devils, before qualifying for the Champions League.
Last season, a disappointing campaign blighted by injuries led to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League.
However, a stunning performance in the FA Cup final saw Ten Hag’s men beat Manchester City.
That capped off what McClaren described as a “turbulent” first two seasons for him and Ten Hag at Old Trafford.
The arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a minority owner last season also prompted speculation and uncertainty over Ten Hag’s future.
McClaren decided to step away, taking on the role as Jamaica national team boss.
But Ten Hag, 54, signed a new contract to extend his stay.
However, it has been another difficult start to the season with painful defeats against Brighton and Liverpool before a goalless draw with Crystal Palace.
And the simmering feud with Ronaldo reared its head again in recent weeks.
Ronaldo slammed Ten Hag for suggesting United are not ready to compete for the Premier League or Champions League – then told his former manager to take advice from his new assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The Portuguese forward told Rio Ferdinand: “Manchester United, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion.
“The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the 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.
“If Ten Hag listens to Ruud, maybe he can [help himself]. I think it can help a lot because he knows the club and the club should listen [to] the guys who were there.”
But Ten Hag hit back – insisting it was Ronaldo’s own assessment that United could not challenge for the biggest titles.
Then the Dutchman borrowed a famous quote from his nemesis to discuss Marcus Rashford ending his goal drought.
Ten Hag said: “It’s very important. For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list.
“Once the first is in, more is coming. Once, a striker was talking about a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more.”
That unusual ketchup reference is an analogy Ronaldo has used to describe a forward finding goal-scoring form.
Ronaldo previously offered the condiment-themed advice to Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota, while he has used the quip multiple other times throughout his career – first referencing it back in 2010.