Erik ten Hag's falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United has been explained by former coach Benni McCarthy, who revealed the Dutch manager demanded pressing from his forwards—a task the Portuguese star could no longer fulfil.
McCarthy, speaking to Ladbrokes, said Ten Hag wanted high pressing from the start, but Ronaldo, at 40, lacked the stamina to sustain it. 'Erik wanted pressing from the start... Ronaldo was varying his game a lot, but it wasn't how Erik wanted to play. So he felt that it just couldn't work,' McCarthy explained.
The former United coach added that Ten Hag preferred Anthony Martial over Ronaldo because of the pressing requirement. Ronaldo made only four Premier League starts under Ten Hag before his explosive exit in November 2022, following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
Despite the rift, McCarthy praised Ronaldo's mentality, calling it a 'real shame' things didn't work out. 'He was great for the players just for his mentality... you need mettle,' McCarthy said.
Ronaldo has since thrived at Al-Nassr, scoring 83 goals in 93 games. He is out of contract this summer but is expected to sign a new deal.
