Erik ten Hag reportedly clashed with seven Manchester United players before he was sacked, and many of them have since spoken out about their issues with the former Ajax boss
Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag reportedly fell out with seven players at United(Image: Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
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Erik ten Hag reportedly clashed with a whopping seven Manchester United players before his managerial reign came to an end in 2024. Cristiano Ronaldo was among them and has been vocal about his fractured relationship with the former United boss.
The 55-year-old tactician enjoyed four and a half years in charge of Ajax, and after his recent stint at Bayer Leverkusen concluded, speculation is mounting over a potential return to Amsterdam following John Heitinga's dismissal. It's been just over 12 months since Ten Hag and United went their separate ways, with Ruben Amorim stepping into the hot seat.
Following his exit, claims surfaced that he had lost the faith of his squad, with both players and supporters turning their backs on him. Notably, some of his key stars had apparently lost all confidence in his leadership. Here, Mirror Football examines seven players with whom the Dutchman allegedly had major disagreements.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The most notorious bust-up was undoubtedly with Ronaldo. The Real Madrid icon's Old Trafford homecoming generated massive excitement in 2021, and despite scoring 27 goals across 54 appearances, his deal was terminated by United after the bombshell Piers Morgan sit-down, where Ronaldo criticised both the club and Ten Hag.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) was one of the seven players ten Hag reportedly fell out with
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The Dutch manager would subsequently reveal that Ronaldo "had to go", with the Portuguese superstar jetting off to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Nassr, where he remains today. The row flared up again in September 2024, when Ronaldo appeared on Rio Ferdinand's podcast and declared: "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."
Harry Maguire
Despite remaining at United, Maguire nearly departed the club under Ten Hag, but his transfer to West Ham United fell through in 2023. He held the captain's armband when the former Ajax manager arrived at the club, but subsequently lost the captaincy and was put up for sale, resulting in the proposed switch to the London Stadium.
Maguire himself spoke about the doubt surrounding Ten Hag's management, implying it directly affected their performances on the pitch. "It was tough," he said. "It probably did damage our performances and results throughout the season."
Zidane Iqbal
During a training session in Australia over three years ago, footage emerged of Ten Hag lambasting youngster Zidane Iqbal for failing to keep the ball on the ground: "Keep the ball on the floor... Zidane! Hey! Keep the ball! F***ing rubbish!"
While some experts might contend this isn't an unusual occurrence in top-flight football, Iqbal wasn't afforded a single chance during the subsequent 2022/2023 campaign despite demonstrating potential. He would eventually join Utrecht for £850k, where he remains today.
Jadon Sancho
There was a time when Jadon Sancho appeared destined for greatness. The winger was setting the Bundesliga alight with Borussia Dortmund and eventually secured his dream transfer to United.
Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho's time at United has not been fruitful, despite being touted as the next best thing
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Nevertheless, things haven't panned out for the 25-year-old, who has since had loan spells at Chelsea and Aston Villa. Similar to Ronaldo, Sancho has also engaged in public disagreements with Ten Hag, who axed the attacking player from a fixture against Arsenal, claiming "poor training performance".
Sancho responded via social media, asserting he was being used as a "scapegoat" and flatly refuting suggestions of substandard training displays, allegedly enraging the United manager. He was consequently loaned back to his previous club, Dortmund, for the campaign, and things remain unresolved for him at United.
Anthony Martial
Much like Sancho, Martial was previously hailed as one of football's brightest prospects. However, at 29, he hasn't lived up to expectations.
Currently plying his trade for Monterrey in Mexico's top division, Martial's downturn can be traced to his exclusion from the United setup. Throughout the 2023/2024 season, he was banished from senior training sessions, despite battling illness, as part of Ten Hag's squad overhaul approach.
Martial was sidelined for four matches due to illness before the former United manager decided he wasn't match-fit and made him train in isolation. His deal was allowed to expire last year, and he eventually joined AEK Athens for the upcoming campaign.
Marcus Rashford
Despite being amongst the standout stars during Ten Hag's debut campaign, Rashford also felt the unforgiving nature of Ten Hag's management. On New Year's Eve in 2022, United were facing Wolves on the road. Rashford turned up 45 seconds behind schedule for the team briefing and was promptly axed from the starting XI.
Nevertheless, he managed to net the winning goal in the 76th minute after coming on as a substitute. Rashford discussed this incident with Gary Neville on The Overlap. "I wasn't even that late - he wasn't being harsh - late is late, but it was probably about 45 seconds, a minute late," he said. "I already knew what was going to happen because of the rules he implemented in pre-season. Rules are rules and we've got a game to win."
David de Gea
David de Gea, amongst the finest shot-stoppers in United's history, found his spot in jeopardy once Ten Hag arrived, with the Dutchman instantly seeking a replacement goalkeeper upon his appointment.
Contract talks failed to progress as hoped in 2023, and De Gea eventually departed United following 12 years at Old Trafford. He now turns out for Fiorentina in Serie A.
Ten Hag subsequently signed his former Ajax player, Andre Onana, as De Gea's successor, but the move hasn't quite panned out as expected, with Onana currently on loan at Trabzonspor.
Supporters speculated that De Gea was rejoicing over Ten Hag's exit from United last year when he shared a cryptic post on social media featuring the pinched finger emoji.
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