Cristiano Ronaldo continues to express his dissatisfaction with Manchester United’s direction under Erik ten Hag’s leadership.
In an upcoming interview with Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo reiterated his belief that the club needs a complete overhaul.
“As I told you, Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion,” Ronaldo stated. He criticised Ten Hag’s apparent lack of ambition, saying, “(As) Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League.”
Ronaldo emphasised the importance of a winning mentality, even when facing challenges. “You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.”
Despite Ten Hag’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup victories, Ronaldo highlighted United’s struggles, including their lowest Premier League finish in the modern era and a group-stage exit from the Champions League.
While acknowledging the recent appointment of former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to the coaching staff as a positive step, Ronaldo suggested Ten Hag could benefit from heeding the advice of club legends.
“If Ten Hag listens to Ruud, maybe he can (help himself),” Ronaldo explained. “I think it can help a lot because he knows the club and the club should listen (to) the guys who were there.” He stressed the importance of institutional knowledge and experience in rebuilding the club. “The people who understand the football, it was, 99 per cent is the people who were there in the dressing room. They know how to deal with the players. It’s the people who understand these things.”
Ronaldo’s comments echo his previous criticisms of the club’s infrastructure and lack of progress, voiced in a controversial interview with Piers Morgan before his departure in 2022. However, he acknowledged recent improvements in the club’s structure and investment in the training ground. “This club needs time to rebuild because it’s still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change. They understand that. This is the only way.”
While recognising the ongoing changes, Ronaldo maintained that the club still has a long road ahead to regain its former glory. “This is why they show, they start to change again, the structure of the club, the president, the infrastructures and everything. The owners of the club. They’re investing in the training ground…So I’m happy because [things are changing]. I’m not happy the way it all happened, but in the same way, we cannot control some points of our life sometimes, but it’s done, already done.” – Daily Mail.
