- Cristiano Ronaldo criticizes Erik ten Hag’s negative attitude, urging Manchester United to aim for the Premier League title despite needed changes
- Ronaldo emphasizes the necessity for Manchester United to rebuild completely while maintaining its ambition to compete for major trophies like the league
Cristiano Ronaldo has criticized Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag’s attitude as being too negative, urging him to aim for the Premier League title even though the club needs a major overhaul.
Ronaldo, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, had a public fallout with Ten Hag before his second spell at Old Trafford ended in late 2022. He believes that while the club needs substantial changes, Ten Hag should not dismiss the possibility of winning significant trophies.
Despite winning the League Cup and FA Cup over the past two seasons, Ten Hag stated in July that his team is still “a long way away” from being ready to compete for the Premier League title, which Manchester United has not won since Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge in 2013.
In an episode of the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, due for release on Thursday, Ronaldo expressed his views on the situation: “Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion,” he said. “The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League. As Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you won’t fight to win the league or Champions League. It would help if you mentally said, ‘Listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot. We’re going to try. You have to try.'”
Although Manchester United upset Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May, they suffered their worst Premier League campaign last term, finishing eighth. The 20-time English champions have also lost two of their opening three matches this season.