Erik ten Hag, recently appointed Xabi Alonso’s successor as Bayer Leverkusen manager, opened up on what went wrong during his reign as Manchester United manager while revealing that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had nothing to do with the drastic decline.
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Neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Erik ten Hag parted ways with Manchester United on a happy note in recent years. Portuguese superstar Ronaldo’s second stint with the Red Devils on an acrimoniously in November 2022 with more than six months left in his contract following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
Dutch manager Ten Hag, who had taken over as manager in 2022, had narrowly escaped getting sacked after leading the Red Devils to victory over Manchester City to win the FA Cup last year, but was ultimately shown the door after United registered their worst start in 35 years in the 2024-25 season.
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When asked about the 13-time Premier League champions’ rapid decline in the last few years, especially during his reign, the Dutchman felt Ronaldo, who would join Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr shortly after parting ways with United, had nothing to do with it.
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This despite the fact that Ronaldo’s arrival was followed shortly after by the exit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, ten Hag’s predecessor at Old Trafford, with the iconic forward having also shared an openly difficult relationship with the latter.
“For me he’s (Ronaldo) no problem. He was never the problem and I think that’s the past,” ten Hag told reporters following Bayer Leverkusen’s 0-2 loss against Chelsea in a friendly at Stamford Bridge on Friday. Ten Hag has joined recent Bundesliga champions Leverkusen as Xabi Alonso’s replacement following the latter’s departure to Real Madrid.
“I think it was what happened. It’s the past and after that, we won two trophies at Manchester United. I wish him all the best for the for the future and I wish him the best of luck,” he added.
🚨 Erik ten Hag: “Cristiano Ronaldo was never the problem”.
“It’s the past, after that we won two trophies”.@BeanymanSports 🎥 pic.twitter.com/6zvs6mZM5H
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 9, 2025
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United a thing of the past as Ten Hag looks ahead with Leverkusen
Despite his legacy as coach being tarnished by the unwanted milestone of guiding United to their worst start of the Premier League era, ten Hag had his moments with the Red Devils – helping them finish third on the Premier League table in his first season in charge.
United would also win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup under his watch, making him only the second manager since the retirement of the legendary Alex Ferguson to win multiple trophies with the iconic club.
All of that, however, is in the past for the 55-year-old former centre-back, who’s focused on starting afresh with Leverkusen in the upcoming season.
“You have to ask the club [on his trophy record appealing to Leverkusen], but for sure I love to win trophies and that is what I’m doing all my career and I want to keep this process going and that is my challenge with Leverkusen to do the same,” Ten Hag continued.
“It’s not about Manchester United, that is closed. I’m looking forward and I’m really happy to be back. I’m really enjoying the last couple of weeks.
“We have a good club (Leverkusen), we have a good team and we will improve,” he added.
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