‘He is far away in Saudi’: Ten Hag bluntly reacts to Ronaldo’s candid criticism of his tenure

Erik ten Hag likely thought he’d already said his last words on Cristiano Ronaldo when he left the club in 2022. 

Yet, the ex-Manchester United forward recently sat down with former teammate Rio Ferdinand to reflect on his illustrious career, including both spells at Old Trafford.

Of course, one spell was worlds apart from the other, with him claiming three Premier League titles, two League Cups, a Champions League, an FA Cup and a Club World Cup under football’s greatest-ever manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

His return to Manchester in 2021 turned sour upon the arrival of Ten Hag, who made clear from the get-go that Ronaldo wouldn’t be a concrete starter each week, which was expectedly tough for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to take.

After a fiery interview with Piers Morgan saw the Portugal skipper express his resentment towards the current Red Devils boss, a mutual agreement was reached, and his contract was terminated prematurely. He then pulled the curtains on his European career entirely and spearheaded the outpouring of players departing for Saudi Arabia.

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Ten Hag clashes with Ronaldo…again

When speaking with Ferdinand on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ronaldo weighed in on the current affairs taking place in M16, which sees the club on the back of an FA Cup triumph – but also their lowest-ever Premier League finish on record.

“They need to rebuild everything, in my opinion,” he began. “The club needs time to rebuild because it’s still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change. They understand that this is the only way.

“This is why they show, they start to change again, the structure of the club, the infrastructures and everything. The owners of the club are investing in the training ground, so I’m happy [because things are changing].

“I believe that the future will be bright. I believe, but they don’t depend only on the talents. They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible.”

Reacting to his former forward’s brutally honest assessment, Ten Hag told reporters today: “He is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester. He is entitled to have an opinion. It is okay.”

“We will see where we are in May next year,” the Dutchman continued. “It’s very early in the season. It’s about winning trophies, being as high as possible in the league, doing everything to win every game – and then we will see in May where we are.”