Ten Hag recently returned to England, managing Leverkusen against Chelsea in a friendly at Stamford Bridge. The home side won 2-0 thanks to goals from newcomers Estevao and Joao Pedro. After the match, the English media questioned the Dutch manager about his 2022-2024 tenure at Man Utd. "Ronaldo just scored a hat-trick in a friendly for Al Nassr. Is he still a problem?", a reporter asked.

"For me, Ronaldo wasn't, and has never been, a problem," Ten Hag replied. "Whatever happened is in the past. I won two titles at Man Utd. I wish Ronaldo luck and all the best in the future."

Manager Erik ten Hag and Ronaldo during the Man Utd vs. Liverpool Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK, 22/8/2022. Photo: Reuters

Manager Erik ten Hag and Ronaldo during the Man Utd vs. Liverpool Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK, 22/8/2022. Photo: Reuters

Ronaldo worked with Ten Hag starting in the summer of 2022, but they disagreed after a few months. The 37-year-old forward admitted to not respecting Ten Hag because, in his view, the manager didn't respect him. In October 2022, the Dutch manager removed Ronaldo from the first team for a few days because he refused to come on as a substitute in the final minutes of a match against Tottenham. "He didn't respect me, so I won't respect him," Ronaldo told Piers Morgan a month later.

Man Utd placed their faith in Ten Hag at that time, which made Ronaldo "feel betrayed." He agreed to terminate his contract with the "Red Devils" and joined Al Nassr on a free transfer in January 2023. Ten Hag also only lasted two more years before being dismissed.

Since then, Ten Hag hasn't appeared publicly in England. Therefore, the English media hasn't had many opportunities to question him about his relationship with Ronaldo. However, despite no longer working in England, Ten Hag still doesn't consider the 40-year-old superstar a problem during his time managing Man Utd.

Hoang An