MANCHESTER, England — Erik ten Hag has fired back at Cristiano Ronaldo, suggesting the Portuguese forward doesn't know what he's talking about because he's “far away from Manchester.”
Ronaldo criticised Ten Hag on a podcast hosted by Rio Ferdinand, saying the United boss “shouldn't say you're not going to fight to win the league or the Champions League”.
However, Ten Hag has dismissed the comments and insisted it was Ronaldo who said United cannot win the Premier League title.
“He said Manchester United can't win the Premier League,” said Ten Hag, who had a falling out with Ronaldo during their time together at the club.
“He said this. If you read the article carefully, he is very far away, in Saudi Arabia, very far from Manchester, so everyone can have an opinion and is entitled to it. That's fine.”
Ten Hag is under pressure ahead of the trip to Southampton on Saturday following a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth have publicly backed the Dutchman, but that has not stopped speculation that the former Ajax boss could be replaced at Old Trafford just months after his contract was extended until 2026.
“It doesn't affect me,” said Ten Hag. “I know where we are and where we are going. We are in a transition period, we have to integrate a lot of young players into the team.”
“We have to recover from injuries in the team. Before anyone makes excuses, we have to win every game, I know that. The team knows that. We will concentrate on every game and have the mentality to win.”
Meanwhile, Ten Hag has confirmed that Luke Shaw and Rasmus Højlund will not play against Southampton on Saturday as they continue to recover from injuries.
New signing Manuel Ugarte could make his debut after returning from international duty on Thursday.
