We remember Cristiano Ronaldo running out of the stadium before Man United games had ended. When he, like CR7, wasn’t allowed to be on the pitch, then it could be so good. Several former stars have later stated that Erik ten Hag treated Ronaldo with disrespect, the result was that the icon forced an exit after lashing out at the coach and club owners in a TV interview. Now, former assistant coach Steve McClaren is reminiscing about his time with both Ten Hag and Ronaldo at United.
On the podcast The Good, The Bad and The Football, McClaren, who recently resigned as Jamaica’s national team manager after the nation failed to qualify directly for the World Cup, talks about the very special atmosphere between Ten Hag and Ronaldo.
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“In training, there was a constant battle between them. It was about: “All I want you to do is this, this and this”. I used to say to Ronnie, “All he wants from you is for you to put the pressure first, take one run, two races and maybe a third as well. And then pull in centrally again if we win the ball, so we can play it to you,” McClaren said.
“If you can’t or don’t want to do that, you’re not going to play,” Ten Hag is said to have told Ronaldo.
And the situation between Dutchman and Portuguese icon, what description will McClaren put on it?
“It was quite a game. Not a direct conflict, but a deadlocked situation. The question was who was going to give up. Erik didn’t do that,” McClaren recalls.
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