Erik Ten Hag was a key factor behind Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United exit
Photo : AP
Erik Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United on Monday (October 28) after two and half years in charge of the club following the Red Devils' disastrous start to the season which sees them currently on 14th spot in the Premier League (PL) table and 21st in the Europa League (EL).
Ten Hag was appointed as United's manager in 2022 as the club's permanent replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjær. However, the Dutchman took charge of the club after Ralf Rangnick took charge of the club on an interim basis from November 2021 to May 2022.
Who Is Erik Ten Hag?
Before joining Ten Hag had a successful four-year stint with Ajax in which they won the Eredivisie title in three seasons. He famously led the club to the Champions League semi-final in the 2018-19 season in which they knocked out three-time defending champions Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo-staterr Juventus.
Prior to his tenure with the Dutch giants, Ten Hag started his coaching career with Go Ahead Eagles. He also took charge of Bayern Munich's second time when Pep Guardiola was the head coach of the senior side. Later, he coached Utrecht from 2015 to 2017.
The Spat With Cristiano Ronaldo
Ten Hag started his career at Manchester United with a public spat with Cristiano Ronaldo, which eventually forced the Portuguese legend out of the club. Ten Hag benched Ronaldo for most games in the season, a decision that did not go well with a five-time Ballon d'Or winner. In United's 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, Ten Hag refused to bring Ronaldo on from the bench and claimed it was a decision to respect Ronaldo's career achievements. Later, the Dutchman ordered Ronaldo to come off the bench in the closing minutes of a home victory over Tottenham, but the club legend walked off the pitch and was later suspended for one match.
When the club season came to a halt due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo gave an explosive interview to British internet personality Piers Morgan in which he slammed Ten Hag and claimed he had no respect for him. The 2008 Champions League winner also criticised the club owners. That marked the end of Ronaldo's career at United as both parties parted ways almost immediately.
Erik Ten Hag's Manchester United Career
In his Manchester United tenure, Ten Hag had a successful first season as they finished third in the Premier League and returned to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) while the club also ended a six-year trophy drought to win the Carabao Cup.
However, the second season saw things go haywire with a group-stage exit in the UCL and an eighth-place finish in the PL. However, there was a silver lining as they defeated city rivals Manchester City in the final to win the FA Cup.
While the triumph at Wembley helped Ten Hag save himself from a sacking, the respite was short-lived with a poor start to his third season in charge ensuring that the club gave him the pink slip. Overall, Ten Hag managed United in 128 matches in which he won 70, lost 23, and had 35 draws.
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