Erik Ten Hag Responds to Cristiano Ronaldo's Criticism: 'Doesn't Affect Me, He is far from Manchester'

Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag responded to criticism from former Red Devils' forward Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal captain, who achieved a career milestone of surpassing 900 goals during the international break, expressed his dissatisfaction with Ten Hag's perceived negativity towards a club of United's caliber. Ronaldo specifically referenced Ten Hag's recent comment acknowledging that the club still has a significant distance to go before being able to compete for the Premier League title.

Now, Ten Hag reacted to Ronaldo's comments and stated that he is entitled to his opinion. At a press conference, on Thursday (Sep 12), the United manager said, "He (CR7) said that Manchester United can't win the Premier League." He reiterated, "No, he said this if you read the article very well. So, he's far away in Saudi, far from Manchester. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion. It's OK."

He further added, "It doesn't impact me (Ronaldo's remark). I know in the process where we are, what we have to do, where we are going. I have said before we are still in a transition period. We have to integrate a lot of young players also in the team.

"We are still dealing with injuries, we have to bring the injuries back in the team. Before anyone thinks about excuses, no, we have to win every game. I know that, the team knows this and it doesn't matter who is available. We will focus on every game and have in every game the mindset that we have to win."

Under Ten Hag, United lifted the League Cup and FA Cup over the past two seasons.

Also read: HISTORY MADE! Ronaldo becomes first individual to hit 1 billion followers across all social media platforms

Ronaldo, in an episode of the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, slammed Ten Hag and stated, "Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League. Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you're not going to fight to win the league or Champions League.

"You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don't have that potential, but I cannot say that. We're going to try. You have to try," he added.

Ronaldo joined United, on Alex Ferguson's insistence, for a second stint in mid-2021, which didn't yield fruitful results. In late 2022, he left the club, to join his current one Al-Nassr in Saudi, after a fallout with Ten Hag. Under the Dutchman, Ronaldo had fallen out of favour and wasn't a regular in the starting XI.

At present, United are at the 14th spot in the 2024/25 Premier League standings, with one win and two thrashings in the new season.