CRISTIANO RONALDO has slammed Erik ten Hag for saying things “you cannot say” and told him why he MUST listen to Manchester United legend and coach Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Ronaldo, 39, lasted less than half a season under the Dutchman at Old Trafford after the pair had a major bust-up.
The star’s contract was eventually terminated in November 2022, with Ronaldo blasting his former boss in an astonishing interview with The Sun columnist Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
Ronnie has since gone on to become a superstar in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, has scooped the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
But the tactician – who has just been targeted in a fresh attack by Morgan – is yet to mount a title challenge, with United finishing a disappointing eighth last season.
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And despite the Red Devils undergoing a major backroom upheaval following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority takeover, Ronaldo still feels United need to “rebuild everything” as he took a hugely critical swipe at Ten Hag’s approach to management.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ronaldo said: “As I told you, Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion.
“The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the League and Champions League.
“(As) Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League.
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“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.”
Part of the reshuffle at United saw Old Trafford icon Van Nistelrooy arrive as one of Ten Hag’s new assistants.
The former striker knows all about the demands of the United faithful after scoring 150 goals while winning a Premier League title.
And Ronaldo has warned Ten Hag not to ignore Van Nistelrooy’s words of wisdom, as he is much more aware of what is required to lead the dugout at the Theatre of Dreams.
That’s despite the Dutch assistant making him cry during an argument shortly after his father’s death in 2005.
SunSport exclusively revealed yesterday that Van Nistelrooy is favourite to replace Ten Hag should the former Ajax manager be sacked.
Ronaldo added: “If Ten Hag listen to Ruud, maybe he can (help himself). I think it can help a lot because he knows the club and the club should listen (to) the guys who were there.
“You [Rio] or Roy Keane or Paul Scholes or Gary Neville, whatever, Sir Alex Ferguson. You cannot, you cannot rebuild a club without knowledge. Not guys who work in office. They understand.
“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.
“So I believe that Ruud is going to help because he was inside the club. He knows the club. He knows the fans. If the coach listens to him, I think they can improve a little bit the club.”
Van Nistelrooy’s former PSV Eindhoven coach Javier Rabanal certainly feels he’d be a perfect fit to manage United, telling SunSport yesterday: “Ruud had a great connection with the players and it was great to see the relationship he had with everyone, from top to bottom.
“Although he was an elite footballer, a world legend, he is such a humble guy and so calm and unaffected by difficult moments.
“That doesn’t mean he wasn’t demanding but working with him was a pleasure. He was so infectious and created a really positive environment.
“Perhaps another person with that standing in football would have a massive ego. But he just knows how to talk to people and enthuse them.
“What really impressed me was he was available for anything, at any time for anyone and when he spoke, it was with real feeling, and I know he touched the players’ hearts.”
Meanwhile, on the huge project awaiting new football director Ratcliffe, Ronaldo declared: “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.
“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.”
Ronaldo also reflected on his second stint at United between 2021 and 2022, which yielded 27 goals in 54 outings.
He said: “When I was back at Man United, I was very happy. I was one of the best scorers.
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“I did unbelievable things with the club. My first season aged 37, I was the third best scorer in the league.
“I scored all the group stage, I scored every game. Even in the league I scored 17 or 18 goals. I did amazing.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s red cards
Ronaldo picked up his 12th career red card against Al-Hilal
- Aston Villa vs MAN UTD (2004) – Yellow cards for diving and chipping goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen after the whistle had gone.
- Man City vs MAN UTD (2006) – Straight red card for a high tackle on former United legend Andy Cole, of all people.
- Portsmouth vs MAN UTD (2007) – Straight red card for headbutting midfielder Richard Hughes.
- Man City vs MAN UTD (2008) – Yellow card for a cynical foul on Shaun Wright-Phillips, second yellow for a deliberate handball.
- REAL MADRID vs Almeria (2009) – Ronaldo’s first home red card. One yellow for taking his shirt off to celebrate a goal. A second yellow for aiming a kick at midfielder Juanma Ortiz.
- REAL MADRID vs Malaga (2010) – Straight red card for a stray elbow which fractured defender Patrick Mtiliga’s nose. Ronaldo said afterwards: “If he wasn’t 5 foot 6, I might have caught him in the chest.”
- REAL MADRID vs Atletico Madrid (2013) – Ronaldo received a straight red card for a high kick in Atleti captain Gabi’s face as Real lost the Copa del Rey final 2-1 on home soil.
- Athletic Bilbao vs REAL MADRID (2014) – Straight red card for striking an opponent in the face during a skirmish before a corner.
- Cordoba vs REAL MADRID (2015) – Straight red card for kicking left-back Edimar and pushing centre-back Jose Angel Crespo
- Barcelona vs REAL MADRID (2017) – Ronaldo made it a red card in the Manchester derby, Madrid derby and El Clasico in the 2017 Spanish Super Cup. The Portugal star received yellow cards for removing his shirt to celebrate a goal at the Nou Camp and diving. He made matters worse by aiming a slight push at the referee after getting sent off.
- Valencia vs JUVENTUS (2018) – Controversial red card after defender Jeison Murillo threw himself to the ground as the pair jostled for position.
- Al-Hilal vs AL-NASSR (2024) – Little doubt about this one as Ronaldo appeared to swing his elbow twice at defender Ali Al-Bulayhi.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
