Steve McClaren opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag fallout at Manchester United with shocking dressing room revelation

The tension between Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag at Manchester United was not sudden. It had been building quietly inside the club long before it became public. Now, former coach Steve McClaren has shared what really happened behind the scenes, and his words make it clear just how serious the situation was.

Speaking to The Athletic, McClaren explained that he had already warned Ten Hag early on. According to him, the manager had to make a clear choice between sticking with his system or adjusting for Ronaldo. That moment, as McClaren described it, set the tone for everything that followed during the 2022 to 2023 season.

Cristiano Ronaldo struggled with Erik ten Hag system at Manchester United as Steve McClaren shares inside dressing room details

McClaren did not hold back while explaining the situation. He said, “Erik tried to impose his style and that’s why he had that fight with him all the way through. I said to Erik, very early, ‘It’s you or him’. Ronaldo was generally OK. But he didn’t want to do the job that Erik wanted him to do. Or didn’t feel he was capable of doing it.”

The issue, as he explained, was not about attitude alone. It was more about the system Ten Hag wanted to use. The manager asked his players to press high, track back, and keep moving even without the ball. That is something younger players could handle more easily, but it did not suit Ronaldo at that stage of his career.

McClaren added more detail about those demands. He said, “The instructions out of possession were, ‘Get into the middle, as soon as you’re back, you’re the first press, then double run, even a triple run now and again’. I used to say to Ronnie, ‘If you want to play, that’s what you’ve got to do’. He’d argue, ‘Ah, nobody wants to press’. I’d say, ‘Well, they’re all young lads, they can press’. I said, ‘You have to run, it’s simple, Ronnie. If you don’t, you don’t play’.”

At the time, Ronaldo was 37 years old and no longer the same player physically. During that season, he scored only three goals under Ten Hag and made 16 appearances, along with two assists. The situation eventually led to his exit after a controversial interview, and his contract was ended before he joined Al Nassr in early 2023.

Even with all that, some players still saw a different side of Ronaldo. Former Manchester United winger Antony spoke about his experience in an interview with Globo Esporte, shared via GOAL.

He said, “I learned a lot from him. He talked about life, books, various subjects outside of football. That was good because it helped me disconnect. He would say, ‘Today we’re not going to talk about football’. And that made us learn other important things. He’s a role model for everyone.” So while things did not work out on the pitch, Ronaldo’s presence still left an impact inside the dressing room.



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