AFCON 2025
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Erik ten Hag has made a surprising admission three years after he decided to part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, insisting that the Portuguese forward “was never the problem.”
Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United in 2021 and had an openly difficult relationship with Ten Hag, which eventually led to his departure by mutual consent just a year later.
The Dutchman was sacked by United last October after a poor start to the 2024-25 season. He has since taken over at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
“For me, he’s [Ronaldo] no problem. He was never the problem, and I think that’s the past,” Ten Hag told reporters after Leverkusen’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in a friendly at Stamford Bridge on Friday.
“I think it was what happened. It’s the past, and after that, we won two trophies at Manchester United. I wish him all the best for the future, and I wish him the best of luck.”
Despite a difficult end to his time at United, Ten Hag led the club to two domestic trophies while in charge: a Carabao Cup triumph in 2023 and an FA Cup win against rivals Manchester City in 2024.
