Steve McClaren believes Erik ten Hag was right to take on Cristiano Ronaldo
McClaren returned to Old Trafford for his second spell at United in 2022 to work alongside Ten Hag
Former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren has expressed his support for Erik ten Hag’s handling of Cristiano Ronaldo during their public fallout, which ultimately led to the Portuguese star’s departure from the club.
McClaren, who returned to Old Trafford in 2022 for a second stint as assistant manager, worked closely with Ten Hag and witnessed the evolving relationship between the Dutch coach and Ronaldo.
Tensions rose early in the 2022-23 season when Ten Hag relegated the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to the bench on several occasions.
In response, Ronaldo publicly accused Ten Hag of “betraying” him and admitted he had no respect for the manager.
Days later, the club and Ronaldo mutually agreed to terminate his contract, a move that divided fans and pundits alike.
Reflecting on the situation, McClaren defended Ten Hag’s decision, affirming that moving on from Ronaldo was the right choice for Manchester United.
“I couldn’t fault his [Ten Hag’s] approach,’ McClaren, who took over as Jamaica’s national team manager this summer, told The Telegraph.
“He really handled it very well. I said at the time he was the right man to go in.
“That was shown in the way he handled [the departure of Cristiano] Ronaldo.
“He [Ten Hag] came in with set standards. Set rules. Set way of playing.
“And if you didn’t run, you didn’t play. He was rigid on that. Which the Dutch are.
“He knew that was what was needed.
“There could be no flexibility, no way the players could manoeuvre [out of that responsibility].
“This is what you had to do – or you didn’t play. And he took on Ronaldo, and quite rightly.
“Other managers have tried to adapt. Erik didn’t feel it was necessary to do that.
“[Ralf] Rangnick had tried and it hadn’t quite worked out and Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] the same.
“So he [Ten Hag] stuck to his guns and developed other players.”
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