Wesley Sneijder has intimated that Erik ten Hag’s troubles as manager of Manchester United were foreshadowed about a year and a half ago following his decision to remove Cristiano Ronaldo from the team.
Ronaldo’s contentious interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022, where he expressed ‘no respect’ for Ten Hag and criticized the Glazer family’s management of the club, provoked ire from both the manager and the club’s executives.
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The discord between Ronaldo and Ten Hag had been brewing well before the interview, starting with Ronaldo’s premature departure from a pre-season game against Rayo Vallecano and his subsequent exclusion from a match against Liverpool the next month.
Ten Hag communicated this decision in a team meeting, and Ronaldo notably exited the stadium early during a victory against Tottenham.
The explosive interview led to the swift termination of Ronaldo’s contract, and he soon joined Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Sneijder, once Ronaldo’s teammate at Real Madrid, now suggests that Ten Hag’s rigid approach may have played a role in the mounting challenges he faces at Old Trafford.
Following a recent unsatisfactory performance against Burnley, Ten Hag is reportedly struggling to maintain his position, with Sneijder speculating that the conflict with Ronaldo may have eroded the respect of the team towards their manager.
Speaking on Dutch TV show Veronica Offside on Monday, Sneijder said: ‘He already made a mistake by competing with Ronaldo.
‘He lost everyone’s respect there. He thought it would work the other way around, but of course not.
‘Those guys in the dressing room thought, “Is this man crazy?”’
On suggestions Ten Hag might be axed at the end of the campaign, Sneijder added: ‘Of course he already knows that he has to leave.
‘But you’re not going to go yourself. If I was him, I would sit there comfortably [until he’s sacked].’
United’s draw with Burnley ended their hopes of finishing in the top four and they are now fighting just to claim a place in the Europa League, though Ten Hag has defended his team.
‘We have some very young players and that’s why we built this club back. That takes time, and we build this by bringing in young players,’ he said at the weekend.
‘Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo – they are all in the first season of the Premier League and the Premier League gets more intense year by year.
‘We have seen the data and it’s much more intense than last season, especially when you see over the last four or five seasons. Those players have to adjust and that takes time.
‘I am sorry for everyone. So, I am very impatient but there we need patience and fans they need patience. We built here a team, and they need experience.’
