After the whole drama between Erik ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo, the situation should be solved as now Ronaldo is a free man to go wherever he wants. Ten Hag claims in the media that he has “moved on” from the whole ordeal. This is the first time he is speaking about it publicly.
Ronaldo’s contract was mutually terminated by United two days before Portugal’s World Cup campaign began, following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan on Talk TV in which he criticised the club and especially Ten Hag.
United entered the World Cup on a high after teenager Alejandro Garnacho’s last-gasp winner secured a 2-1 victory at Fulham, putting them three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.
About Ronaldo however, he stated, “He’s gone and it’s the past.
“We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future”, he then added, “I have the feeling, we have the feeling, that we are in the right direction, but we also know that it’s still a lot of work to do for us here.”
Reactions to Ten Hag’s statement
🚨 Erik ten Hag on Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Man Utd: "He's gone and it's the past. We're now looking forward and we're looking to the future."
The Boss ❤️ pic.twitter.com/R4SCN18B3F
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) December 7, 2022
A fan posted a reply to this tweet with Sir Alex Furgeson’s quote “the minute a player thinks he’s bigger than Manchester United, he has to go.” Responses towards that quote were overwhelmingly against it, other fans said that Furgeson has since been long gone from Manchester United.
His supporters also stormed the post by stating that if Ronaldo is nurturing other players, why did they not win the World Cup or the Ballon d’Or? However, criticisms towards Ten Hag are also brewing as Manchester United has not won much under his tight reign.
Fans are also requesting Ten Hag to win a championship within five years, which is mostly generous considering that other managers have won so much more in a shorter time frame. Case in point, Thomas Tuchel, where he won the Champions League for Chelsea within his first year of being their manager.
“Cristiano Ronaldo will always remain in Manchester United’s history,” stated a fan. Remarks on Ten Hag’s baldness have also surfaced as fans are telling him to “pipe down.” Concerns of Ten Hag getting attacked by the media for losing future games are there as they have no Ronaldo to blame anymore.
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