Erik ten Hag was known to butt heads with his players at Manchester United (Image: Getty)
Seven players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, reportedly fell out with former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during his tenure. The Dutch boss bid farewell to Old Trafford last month as his team struggles in both the Premier League and Europa League. Ruben Amorim is set to take over the reins as a new era dawns.
However, Ten Hag’s departure was far from amicable, with reports suggesting that both the dressing room and fans had turned against him, and some of his key players had lost all faith.
During his two-year stint at the helm of the Red Devils, Ten Hag was known for having occasional disputes, and Express Sport examines seven stars who allegedly clashed with the 54-year-old before he was shown the exit door in Manchester.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to United in the summer of 2021 was highly anticipated but ended up being short-lived. Just over a year after his arrival in Manchester, the superstar’s contract was terminated following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan, in which he was critical of the club and Ten Hag.
The latter would later say that the 39 year old “had to go” – and go he did, moving to the Saudi Pro League, where he now stars for Al-Nassr.
The feud between Ten Hag and Ronaldo reignited in September, with the former player criticising the manager’s lack of ambition: “Man United manager… you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the Premier League or Champions League.”
Ronaldo and Ten Hag continued their war of words this year (Image: Getty)
Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho, who arrived at Old Trafford with a hefty £73million price tag, also publicly clashed with Ten Hag. After being dropped in 2023 for a match against Arsenal for ‘poor training performance,’ the winger clapped back.
Sancho took to social media to refute this claim as “completely untrue” and labelled himself a “scapegoat.” which reportedly infuriated Ten Hag.
The Englishman was subsequently loaned out to his former club, Borussia Dortmund, and despite returning this summer after supposedly resolving issues with Ten Hag, he was again loaned out – with an option to make the move permanent – to Chelsea, suggesting an ongoing tension.
Sancho now plays for Chelsea (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Zidane Iqbal
Youngster Zidane Iqbal also had a run-in with Ten Hag. Despite showing promise two years ago in pre-season, Iqbal was subjected to a harsh tirade from the Dutchman in July 2022.
A training video surfaced showing Erik ten Hag launching a verbal barrage at the teenager, exclaiming: “Keep the ball on the floor… Zidane! Hey! Keep the ball! F***ing rubbish!”
Young talent Iqbal would notably miss out on any first-team play during the 2022/23 season. Although keen on a loan spell in January, he was constrained to stay until summer when Utrecht acquired him for £850k.
Iqbal was sold during Ten Hag’s reign (Image: Getty Images)
Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire’s situation at Manchester United took a dramatic turn under Ten Hag. Initially a key player, the centre-half quickly lost his status with Ten Hag pushing for his exit, leading to the loss of his captaincy and a spot on the transfer list.
Due to his eagerness to battle for his position, a tentative Maguire saw his potential transfer to West Ham in 2023 fall through, much to Ten Hag’s assumed dismay.
Furthermore, Maguire openly expressed frustration over the persistent uncertainty surrounding Ten Hag’s leadership, blaming it for adversely affecting the team’s performance: “It was tough. It probably did damage our performances and results throughout the season.”
Maguire continues to be an outlier at United (Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Anthony Martial
As for Anthony Martial, the French striker found himself outcast from the main squad last year. Martial, not sidelined by injury but illness, was cast out of first-team training in 2023 as part of Ten Hag’s clear-out strategy.
After being sidelined for four matches due to illness, Martial was deemed unfit by the Dutchman and was forced to train alone. This decision clearly indicated Martial’s standing in Ten Hag’s plans.
As 2024 dawned, Martial was plagued with a groin problem that required surgery, effectively ending his tenure at Old Trafford. After an uninspiring loan spell at Sevilla two years prior, Martial’s contract was allowed to run down this summer. He now plies his trade at AEK Athens.
Martial became a free agent this summer (Image: PETER POWELL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Marcus Rashford
Despite being the standout performer in Ten Hag’s inaugural season, netting 30 goals across all competitions, Rashford also experienced the Dutchman’s stern approach.
On December 31, 2022, United travelled to Molineux to face Wolves. However, star player Rashford overslept and arrived just 45 seconds late to a pre-match meeting. Consequently, Ten Hag dropped him from the starting line-up.
Rashford later voiced his disagreement on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, with Gary Neville, stating he “wasn’t even that late”. Nevertheless, Rashford had the final say as he came off the bench at half-time and scored the decisive goal in the 76th minute to secure all three points.
Rashford continues to endure a poor run of form (Image: PA)
David de Gea
David de Gea, a long-standing figure between the posts for United, found his position under threat when Ten Hag began his search for a new goalkeeper shortly after arriving in Manchester.
Contract negotiations between Manchester United and De Gea therefore collapsed in 2023, leading to the Spanish goalkeeper’s departure on a free transfer to Fiorentina this year. Andre Onana, who was Erik ten Hag’s first-choice keeper at Ajax, was quickly brought in.
After Ten Hag was sacked last month, De Gea posted a cryptic message on social media with a pinched finger emoji, leading some fans to believe that the 34-year-old was celebrating the manager’s dismissal.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1974964/erik-ten-hag-man-utd-ronaldo-amorim