Erik ten Hag Dismisses Ronaldo’s Criticism, Focuses on Wins

Erik ten Hag, Manchester United manager has brushed off Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent criticism and emphasized that external noise surrounding the club doesn’t affect him. Ronaldo criticized Ten Hag in a podcast with former United teammate Rio Ferdinand taking issue with Ten Hag’s pre-season interview statement that United were “a long way away” from winning the Premier League.

While Ronaldo agreed the club couldn’t win the title, he felt Ten Hag as manager, shouldn’t have conveyed that message. When asked about Ronaldo’s comments ahead of United’s game against Southampton, Ten Hag pointed out that Ronaldo essentially echoed his own sentiments. “He’s entitled to his opinion. It’s OK. He’s far away in Saudi, far from Manchester,” Ten Hag added.

United will face Southampton after suffering consecutive defeats to Brighton and Liverpool. Another loss would mark their worst start to a season since 1986-87 when Ron Atkinson lost his job and Sir Alex Ferguson took over. Ten Hag confirmed that full-back Luke Shaw, who hasn’t played for United this season despite featuring for England in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, remains unavailable.

Striker Rasmus Hojlund will also miss the match as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. However, new signing Manuel Ugarte, who recently returned from international duty with Uruguay is fit. Despite speculation about his future, especially with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s growing influence, Ten Hag remains unfazed. He stated that outside discussions don’t impact him because he understands the team’s direction and the ongoing transition period.

Erik ten Hag emphasized the need to win, saying, “No excuses, we have to win every game. It doesn’t matter who is available.”