Ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has again publicly criticised Cristiano Ronaldo with the Portugal superstar making his feelings clear to Piers Morgan
Erik ten Hag has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was long past his peak when he returned to Man Utd
Erik ten Hag has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was long past his peak when he returned to Man Utd(Image: Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo and Piers Morgan have had an apparent exchange where the Portugal icon said Erik ten Hag "wasn't worth talking about" following his latest criticism.
The Dutchman was at the helm of Manchester United when the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left Old Trafford following a very public fallout. Ronaldo had fallen down the pecking order under Ten Hag - and the veteran striker took issue with that.
He did an interview with Morgan where he took aim at the club, which resulted in his contract being terminated. Ten Hag has claimed that Ronaldo's productive years were long gone - suggesting he hasn't been at his peak since 2018. He returned to Manchester in 2021.
Ten Hag told ESPN: “Let there be no misunderstanding on my part, he is of course a great player. He belongs among the greats of the world. But the reality is also that he hasn’t been able to deliver for the last seven or eight years. From Juventus onwards, it was simply over.
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“That is also Real Madrid ’s great gift. They see when a player is declining in level. Then they part ways at a moment when, to the outside world, they are still at their peak, but actually can no longer deliver.”
Morgan put those comments to Ronaldo, with the pair known to have a friendship, and the now Al Nassr star had little time for his former boss. The former newspaper editor said on Football Uncensored: “I did ask Cristiano about it and he said he didn’t think that Ten Hag was worth talking about.”
Morgan has also maintained that United would be in a far better position if they had someone like Ronaldo churning out the type of numbers he did in his full season back at the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo quit Man Utd after clashing with Erik ten Hag
Cristiano Ronaldo quit Man Utd after clashing with Erik ten Hag(Image: Matthew Ashton - AMA, Getty Images)
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He added: “He scored 18 Premier League goals and six Champions League goals (in has last full season at Old Trafford). How much would United love a striker with that record right now? I think Ronaldo could have given United another two, three years and scored a lot of goals for them.
“It would have been an excellent, excellent comeback if he’d had the right manager with him. But he didn’t. He had a guy that disrespected him, treated him like s*** – a bit like the Portuguese manager is trying to do now. These guys like to make a name for themselves out of Ronaldo.”