Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has downplayed Cristiano Ronaldo’s most recent criticism and stated he is not bothered by outside noise around the team.
Speaking on a podcast with Rio Ferdinand, a former United teammate, Ronaldo said that Ten Hag had been wrong when he stated in a preseason interview conducted in the manager’s native Netherlands that the team was “a long way away” from winning the Premier League for the first time since 2013.
Ronaldo continued, “I think my old club can’t win the championship,” but he felt that Ten Hag was sending the wrong message in his role as manager.
When questioned about the remarks made by the seasoned forward prior to Saturday’s trip to Southampton, Ten Hag replied that Ronaldo had made a similar statement.
“No, he said this, if you read the article very well,” said Ten Hag.
“He is entitled to his opinion. It’s OK. He is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester.”
Following losses to Brighton and Liverpool, United travels to Southampton for their 4th Premier League game on Saturday in St. Mary’s Stadium.
Ten Hag said he is not bothered by the “noise” from the outside when he was back home earlier this week coaching his former team, FC Utrecht, in a charity match.
“It doesn’t impact me,” he said. “I know where we are in the process, what we have to do, and where we are going.
“I have said before that we are still in a transition period. We have to integrate a lot of young players in the team and still have to deal with injuries and bring players back into the team.
“Before anyone thinks about excuses, no, we have to win every game. I know that. The team knows that. It doesn’t matter who is available.”
Erik ten Hag confirmed that full-back Luke Shaw, who made three appearances for England during Euro 2024 but has not played for his club this season, is still unavailable.
Manuel Ugarte, the £50.2 million Uruguayan midfielder who recently signed, is fit despite having only returned from international duty on Thursday.
Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund will also be absent from the match as he continues to heal from a hamstring injury he suffered during the summer tour of the United States.
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