‘It’s simply over’: Ten Hag says Ronaldo unable to deliver for seven-eight years

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo had been unable to deliver at the highest level for the last seven or eight years, adding that the Portuguese forward’s time at Juventus marked the end of his career at the top level.

“Over the last seven or eight years, he simply can no longer deliver. From Juventus, it’s simply over,” Ten Hag told ESPN on Sunday.

The Dutchman said United’s players wanted to work with Ronaldo and looked up to him as “one of the greats of all time”, but questioned the forward’s ability to maintain the physical demands of the Premier League.

Ten Hag said he had outlined Ronaldo’s role upon taking charge at Old Trafford in 2022, but the forward could no longer push through pain to train at full intensity.

“If you are not fit to play in the Premier League, you have no chance,” he said.

Ronaldo started only three Premier League games under Ten Hag in the 2022-23 season before leaving United by mutual consent in November 2022, following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan in which he said he had no respect for the manager.

Ten Hag maintained that dropping the forward was a decision made in the club’s best interests.

“I have to make a decision that is in the best interests of the club and of the team,” he said.

After leaving Real Madrid, Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 appearances for Juventus, winning two Serie A titles, before returning to Manchester United. But the return turned sour and soon he moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, where he has netted 131 times in 154 matches.

Ronaldo had previously criticised Ten Hag for his treatment of him, making his stance clear in the interview with Morgan: “If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going to have respect for you.”