Erik ten Hag’s problems at Man United started when he ditched Cristiano Ronaldo, insists Wesley Sneijder… with the dressing room left ‘wondering if the manager was alright in the head’
- Ten Hag clashed with Ronaldo in the early months of his reign at United
- The Dutch coach now fears for his job after a season of struggle at Old Trafford
- Does Mo Salah regret not leaving Liverpool last summer? Is he now in danger of tarnishing his career at Liverpool? Listen to the It all starts! podcast
Erik ten Hag’s decision to dump Cristiano Ronaldo was the start of his downfall at Manchester United, according to Wesley Sneijder.
The United manager clashed with the Portuguese star after dropping him to the bench during the opening weeks of his tenure at Old Trafford.
Matters came to a head when Ronaldo told Piers Morgan he felt ‘betrayed’ by Ten Hag and wanted to leave the club, making several scathing comments about the set-up.
Ronaldo’s contract was terminated by mutual agreement with immediate effect and he subsequently signed for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Although United looked stronger in Ronaldo’s absence last season, they have struggled this season and look likely to miss out on Champions League qualification.
Erik ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo clashed at the start of last season, leading to the Portuguese star’s departure from Manchester United
Now Ten Hag sees his position threatened after a difficult second season at United
Former Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder blamed Ten Hag’s death on his feud with Ronaldo last season
Former Dutch midfielder Sneijder, who has been regularly linked with United but never signed for the club, gave a candid view on the causes of Ten Hag’s problems as he fights to keep his job.
‘Should I tell you what went wrong with Erik ten Hag?’ He said to Veronica Offside, according Football Scoop.
‘On the day he decided to fight Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s where he started to lose all respect.
‘He thought it would work out well for him, but the opposite is true.
‘Everyone in the dressing room wondered whether he was in the right mind about that.’
Ronaldo was comfortably United’s top scorer in 2021-2022 with 24, but did not suit the way Ten Hag wanted to play.
The Dutch coach is under intense pressure and could lose his job even if United beat Manchester City and win the FA Cup final next month.
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team are weighing up whether Ten Hag is the right man to take United forward.
Mail Sport reported on Monday that Ten Hag’s former club Ajax is interested in bringing him back.
However, sources insist that Ten Hag and his coaching team would be reluctant to walk away from Old Trafford to enable a return to Amsterdam, meaning Ajax are dependent on him being sacked.
Ten Hag’s future looks increasingly uncertain after a frustrating campaign for United
Sneijder described United winger Antony as ’embarrassing’ after teasing Coventry players
After winning on penalties, Antony was seen turning his ears to the Coventry players
It is recognized that if Ten Hag loses his job, he may prefer an opportunity in one of Europe’s stronger leagues to a return to the Netherlands.
Ajax is currently fifth in the Eredivisie, 35 points behind leader PSV.
Last week, Sneijder branded United winger Antony ’embarrassing’ after he teased Coventry City’s players after his team scraped past the Championship side on penalties in the FA Cup semi-final.
“Antony should be absolutely ashamed of what he did,” Sneijder told Ziggo Sport.
‘He should have walked off the field straight away instead of doing that. I hope Manchester United lose 5-0 in the final.’
