Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo "let the team down" during his second spell at Old Trafford, as the veteran forward failed to prepare properly during training sessions.
Ronaldo's blockbuster return to Man United from Juventus in 2021 unravelled just over a year later, after his public criticism of the club's leadership led to his contract being mutually terminated.
Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford in 2022 and spent Ronaldo's final months at the club trying to manage the fallout, before his own exit in 2024.
In an interview with The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell, Ten Hag revealed that he had to confront Ronaldo after the forward failed to meet the standards he expected in training.
"He let the team down, and he let me down," Ten Hag said. "I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United."
The Dutchman said Ronaldo missed sessions, did not reach the required heart-rate levels when he did train, and completed only two of three laps during a running drill imposed after a 4-0 loss to Brentford in Aug. 2022.
"I confronted him with this," Ten Hag said. "Many times I say, 'Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can't bring yourself in the box, you can't score.'"
Ten Hag also claimed that Ronaldo encouraged teammates to conserve energy during training drills. "He was telling the players, 'Save your legs' at the training," he said. "I understand it when you are top fit, you have sessions, you can save the legs, but you first have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels."
Ten Hag's comments come after Ronaldo was suspended for 30 days and fined $286 by the Portuguese Football Federation on Monday for walking out of the national team camp during the recent international break.
Ronaldo, who is Portugal's all-time leader in appearances (234) and goals (146), said he remains available to play for the national side if called up again.
