Ten Hag fires back at Ronaldo's criticism of Manchester United's ambition

Ronaldo's second stint at United came to an abrupt end in November 2022 following a highly publicized fallout with his Dutch manager, which stemmed from his controversial comments towards him.

The 39-year-old Al-Nassr player again hit out at Ten Hag this week, saying his attitude was too negative for a club of the stature of United.

Ronaldo told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast: “Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the (Premier) League or Champions League.

“You have to be, to mentally say, ‘Listen, maybe we don’t have that potential but I cannot say that. We’re going to try.’ You have to try.”

He also said the club need to “rebuild everything” and that it “will be difficult” for them to challenge for the biggest trophies.

Ferdinand was a teammate of Ronaldo’s during his trophy-laden first spell at United, from 2003 to 2009.