Manchester United's coach Erik ten Hag made striking statements about Cristiano Ronaldo. Ten Hag stated that Ronaldo was no longer capable of playing football at a high level after leaving Real Madrid in 2018. In his statement on the Goedemorgen Eredivisie program, the Dutch coach emphasized that Ronaldo could not meet the highest level of physical requirements.

"Ronaldo is of course an extraordinary football player and one of the greatest names in history. But for the last seven or eight years, he has struggled to reach that level. Everything ended during his time at Juventus," said Ten Hag, evaluating Ronaldo's performance in previous periods.

This is the third time Ten Hag has criticized Ronaldo. In an interview with Athletic on October 20, he stated that Ronaldo was unprofessional and did not comply with training rules. Later, in an interview with Voetbal International magazine, he drew attention to the negative effects of the 41-year-old star on the Portuguese national team.

Ten Hag expressed the difference between Ronaldo's strong training discipline in the past and now: "Ronaldo once had an impressive physical background and determination to work, but he could not maintain these characteristics in his last period. He no longer has the motivation to push himself every day and be in the best physical condition."

Ten Hag also touched upon the difficulties of the Premier League and Champions League and stated that all players, regardless of their past achievements, have to meet high physical standards. Although Ronaldo was still able to score goals at Al Nassr, Ten Hag stated that he did not show the effort required in Europe's most competitive leagues.

Ten Hag gave examples of how Real Madrid sent aging players at the right time and argued that selling Ronaldo to Juventus for $112 million in the summer of 2018 was the right decision. Ten Hag recalled that Ronaldo scored 450 goals and won four Champions Leagues during his time at Real Madrid, but emphasized that these achievements did not change his current situation.

Ten Hag and Ronaldo's paths crossed when Ten Hag took over as head of Manchester United. Ten Hag had a pre-season meeting with Ronaldo and explained to him the functioning of the team and his role. However, over time the relationship became strained and Ronaldo showed that he was not happy with being frequently substituted during the Ten Hag era.As a result, this process, which ended with Ronaldo's transfer to Al Nassr, was an important turning point for both Ten Hag's career and Ronaldo's future. Ten Hag currently continues his duties as Twente's coach and states that he maintains his emotional ties with Manchester United.