"This guy is a total fraud" - Piers Morgan makes Cristiano Ronaldo claim and calls out Ten Hag after Manchester United's loss to City
British TV personality Piers Morgan has once again called out Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag over his treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo last year. He expressed his disapproval of the Dutch manager after watching the Red Devils succumb meekly to a 3-0 humbling at home in the Manchester Derby.
Morgan has been extremely critical of Ten Hag since his clash with iconic forward Cristiano Ronaldo last season. Ronaldo held a tell-all interview with Piers Morgan before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in which he revealed his problem with Ten Hag, which led to his exit from the Red Devils.
Manchester United fell to a brace from Erling Haaland and a Phil Foden strike at Old Trafford, as they failed to score a goal. Morgan did not waste the opportunity to take a swipe on X (formerly Twitter) at Ten Hag for how he treated Cristiano Ronaldo. He wrote:
"As Manchester United get humiliated by City at home, a reminder that Erik Ten Hag drove @Cristiano out of the club and said he’d lose no sleep over it… and that the same @Cristiano has since scored 43 goals for club & country this year. The guy’s a total fraud."
Ten Hag finds himself increasingly under pressure at Manchester United as his side have struggled throughout the 2023-24 season.
Erik ten Hag facing consequences of Cristiano Ronaldo axe at Manchester United
In the 2021-22 season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 18 league goals for Manchester United and was a reliable source of goals. Since his departure last season, the manager has yet to replace his goals in the squad.
Marcus Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils last season, but has struggled this campaign. The club's goalscoring problem is also reflected via £70 million summer signing Rasmus Hojlund, who is yet to score a league goal.
Erik Ten Hag signed Dutch striker Wout Weghorst on loan last season as a direct replacement for Ronaldo, but the striker failed to make an impact. This season, no player has scored more than four goals for the Red Devils across all competitions.
The Manchester United manager has been criticized for his hardline approach to Ronaldo last season, one he has adopted with Jadon Sancho this season. He is now under pressure to deliver with the team, as they have looked very inconsistent so far this season.
The manager helped the Red Devils end a six-year trophy drought with a Carabao Cup triumph earlier this year, but his side look like they have regressed since then.