Wesley Sneijder claims that Erik ten Hag’s “mistake” of criticising Cristiano Ronaldo cost him respect in the Manchester United locker room.
The Portuguese sensation Ronaldo courted controversy in the fall of 2022 by criticising notable United players both past and present in an intense interview with Piers Morgan. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner felt that he was forcing the Red Devils into a position, so they ended up ripping up his contract.
Ten Hag played a significant role in that saga, having taken to dropping Ronaldo and questioning his value to the collective cause, and the Dutch coach has struggled to convince since ushering the all-time great towards the exits at Old Trafford.
Questions are now being asked of whether Ten Hag will still be United boss in 2024-25, with former Ajax and Real Madrid star Sneijder telling Veronica Offside of his fellow Dutchman and where it started to go wrong for him in England: “He already made a mistake by competing with Ronaldo. He lost everyone’s respect there. He thought it would work the other way around, but of course not. Those guys in the dressing room thought, ‘Is this man crazy?’”
Sneijder added on the sack talk that is now raging around Ten Hag, with United set to miss out on a top-four finish and Champions League qualification: “Of course he already knows that he has to leave. But you’re not going to go yourself. If I was him, I would sit there comfortably [until he’s sacked].”
Ten Hag did bring United’s six-year wait for major silverware to a close last season when savouring Carabao Cup glory, and has led them to back-to-back FA Cup finals – where they will once again face Manchester City in 2024. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is now in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr and is showing no sign of slowing down at 39 years of age – with 42 goals recorded through 44 appearances this season.
