Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; Score808 Live provides the summary and editorial framing.
Erik ten Hag has given his most detailed account yet of his Manchester United tenure, using a two-part interview with The Athletic to describe promises he says the club broke, his failed push to keep Scott McTominay, and the breakdown of his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ten Hag interview, conducted over two evenings in his hometown of Enschede, is his first extended public reflection since he was sacked in October 2024.
Ten Hag, now technical director of FC Twente, insists his affection for United is intact. "I enjoyed every minute in Manchester United; I have such wonderful memories," he said, adding that he wants the club "back where it once was". He also said the fanbase "were always respectful to me".
Ten Hag interview sets out the promises he says were broken
Central to the account is the sequence around the 2024 FA Cup final. Ten Hag had looked set to lose his job before the Wembley meeting with Manchester City, with United's contacts with prospective successors, including Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi, having become public. A 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola's side produced a U-turn from the hierarchy, following the League Cup he had won 15 months earlier.
Two weeks later, during a holiday in Ibiza, talks triggered the clause in his contract for an additional year. "I wouldn't go on with only one year left," Ten Hag said. "So I said, 'I need an extra year and we have to do it together'. They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned. We spoke about the issues. But the promises, they didn't keep."
The McTominay sale and the Ibiza agreement
Ten Hag identifies the departure of Scott McTominay as the clearest breach. McTominay had scored 10 goals in that campaign; he left for Napoli later that summer for €30.5m (£25.7m; $33.7m) as United raised funds to buy Manuel Ugarte.
"In Ibiza, we agreed. I said, 'No selling Scott McTominay'," Ten Hag said, arguing that United lacked scoring and that McTominay "has United in all his veins". He added: "And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed."
He did get Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, two former Ajax players, but had only two months with them. United were 14th in the Premier League on 11 points from nine games when he was dismissed on 28 October 2024, the day after a 2-1 defeat at West Ham United.
Ten Hag disputes the timing, pointing to two 3-0 home defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur as the poor run, and to the club still being in all the cup competitions. "I think it was quite weird to separate ways in that moment," he said. Three days before the sacking, after a 1-1 Europa League draw at Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, he sensed something had shifted: "I can read situations; I see when people are not in Istanbul, all of a sudden something is going on."
Ronaldo, discipline and the limits of player power
Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford for a second spell in August 2021. Ten Hag says he flew to Portugal before taking the job to explain what he was aiming for. "He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him," he said.
According to Ten Hag, Ronaldo pulled out of training sessions, did not raise his heart rate to the required level when he did train, and completed only two of three scheduled laps after the 4-0 defeat at Brentford in August 2022. "Many times I say, 'Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can't bring yourself in the box, you can't score'," Ten Hag said. The Athletic put his comments to Ronaldo's representative and had not received a reply at the time of publication.
Ten Hag also says he was not supported over sanctions on player discipline, including with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, and that the resulting dynamic "fuels" a toxic culture. He links it to what he calls the "Madrid connection" — Casemiro, Raphael Varane and Ronaldo, who won 14 Champions Leagues between them at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane. "Players are powerful and they want to decide," he said. "In my opinion it didn't suit the phase United was in."
Carrick, the takeover and what comes next
Ten Hag defended the current manager, Michael Carrick, saying dismissal "is not the solution. 100 per cent not", and citing his coaching at Middlesbrough and last season. He also described the takeover process as disruptive: Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment was announced on 24 December 2023, with Sir Dave Brailsford joining as a director, Omar Berrada named chief executive in January 2024, Jason Wilcox arriving as technical director in April, and Dan Ashworth and Christopher Vivell in July.
"The takeover process brought a lot of noise, uncertainty with the people, and disruptions," he said. He recalled being interviewed by Ratcliffe and his brother Bob during Nice's 2021 head coach search, and said a first meeting at Carrington turned to structure. "I said, 'OK, let's discuss, but my contract is different'. I never heard anything."
Part two, published on Wednesday, covers his offer to help United's data department, the development of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, and why Sevilla was the turning point in his reign. A special edition of Talk of the Devils follows on Tuesday.
The original report was published by skysports.com.
