TNT Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo 'stand-off' at Manchester United revealed by former Erik ten Hag assistant Steve McClaren - 'You won't play'
By
Published 17/02/2026 at 12:59 GMT
React to this story
Former Manchester United assistant coach Steve McClaren was at the club when Erik ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo's relationship broke down to such an extent that the Portugal international terminated his contract at Old Trafford and moved to Al-Nassr. McClaren revealed the roots of the disagreement came from the Dutchman's tactical demands of Ronaldo.
Highlights: Macclesfield suffer FA Cup heartbreak as Brentford progress
Video credit: TNT Sports
Former Manchester United assistant coach Steve McClaren revealed how Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag’s relationship broke down in 2022.
McClaren was part of Ten Hag’s coaching setup from May 2022, ahead of Ronaldo’s short-lived second season at Old Trafford after his return in 2021.
Ronaldo was dropped early in the season as Ten Hag looked to get more defensive work from his front three, something which the Portugal veteran was reportedly not keen to do.
Ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo gave an infamous interview that precipitated his exit from United for the second time in his career, and he joined Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, McClaren recalled the disagreements between Ten Hag and Ronaldo.
"There was a lot of battles on that training field," the ex-England boss explained. "There was a lot of ‘all I want you to do is this, this, this and this’. That was Erik's coaching - 'Ronnie, this is your job'.
"I used to say to Ronnie, ‘all he [Ten Hag] wants you to do is, you're the first press, make one run, make two runs, and maybe make a third one, if you feel like it. And then, recover back into the middle, in case we win the ball, and then we can play to you.
"'That's all he wants you to do. If you can't do that, you won't be playing. Or if you won't do that, you can't be playing, or he won't pick you. I'm telling you, he won't pick you’.
"It's not like I think other people would, and that's the difference, other people would. But Erik was, 'no, I'm doing that', and 'he's [Ronaldo] got to do it, otherwise he doesn't play'.
"It was a little bit of a fight. Not a fight, but a stand-off, and who is going to win? Erik stuck to his guns.
"I think most managers would accommodate to that. Some managers are like that. But he stuck to his guns."
- 'The Hollywood tie' - FA Cup fifth round must-watch matches
- Heathcote OG sees Brentford end Macclesfield's FA Cup run
- Williamson and James return for England, Pattinson in debut call-up
Ten Hag stayed until midway through last season when he was replaced by Ruben Amorim, who himself was sacked in early 2026, with Michael Carrick stepping in as interim head coach until the end of the season.
Ronaldo remains with Al-Nassr, though there has been recent speculation that he could leave, with clubs reportedly looking to exercise a £43 million release clause.
The 41-year-old has yet to win a league title in Saudi Arabia, but continues to score at an exceptional rate, and remains one of the first names on the team sheet for his national team boss, Roberto Martinez.
He has 143 goals in 226 matches for Portugal, and 118 in 134 games for Al-Nassr.
Stream the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Men's and Women's FA Cup and more on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement