"Any manager, including Sir Alex Ferguson would've done exactly the same" – Liverpool icon on Erik ten Hag booting Cristiano Ronaldo out
Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has jumped to ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag's defence for how he handled Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo's second spell at the Red Devils.
Back in November 2022, Ten Hag got involved in a heated controversy after the Al-Nassr striker criticized the Dutchman in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan. Subsequently, the Portuguese had his contract terminated before the start of the FIFA World Cup.
In the following season, the ex-Manchester United manager had a fallout with now Chelsea star Jadon Sancho. He shunned the attacker from first-team training after the Englishman hit out at him in a post on X.
During a recent interaction with Sky Sports, Carragher was asked to share his two cents on Ten Hag's man-management decisions at Manchester United. He replied (h/t liverpool.com):
"Well, I don't know what goes on in the dressing room at Manchester United but in those two situations, Erik ten Hag was right. I mean, when they won a game away at Fulham and scored a last minute winner and it was a great moment for Manchester United in his first season, Cristiano Ronaldo was doing an interview with Piers Morgan slaughtering the club, slaughtering the manager."
Praising Ten Hag for decision in the 2022-23 season, he added:
"So he was well within his rights and any manager, including Sir Alex Ferguson would have done exactly the same and booted Ronaldo out of the club for that because that was not acceptable. And Manchester United fans know that was right. With Jadon Sancho, again, he was right."
Ronaldo, 39, featured in 16 matches across all competitions under Ten Hag at the Red Devils. He bagged just a Premier League goal and two UEFA Europa League goals in 1,051 minutes of first-team action.
Piers Morgan defends Cristiano Ronaldo chat, lambasts Erik ten Hag following club sacking
After Erik ten Hag was fired from his role at the Red Devils, Piers Morgan hit out at the former Ajax manager for facilitating Cristiano Ronaldo's exit in November 2022. He wrote on X:
"Every single word that @Cristiano told me about Ten Hag in our explosive interview was born out by events. He was an over-promoted, delusional, disrespectful, and thoroughly mediocre manager who couldn’t handle world-class talent or run a club that size."
Ten Hag, 54, guided the Old Trafford side to just four wins in 14 matches across all competitions this campaign before being let go by the club.
On the other hand, the Portugal captain has contributed 67 goals and 18 assists in 75 total appearances for Al-Nassr since arriving in 2023.