Wesley Sneijder claims that Erik ten Hag was doomed at Manchester United the moment he decided to take on Cristiano Ronaldo.
The beleaguered Dutchman, 54, has overseen United's worst season in decades and it is currently unclear whether or not he will be retained beyond the summer by Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ten Hag enjoyed a strong maiden campaign last year but has seen all his credit in the bank erode over recent months. And while plenty of pundits have been discussing the former Ajax chief's future, Sneijder has honed in on a key moment from Ten Hag's past.
The former Netherlands and Real Madrid playmaker is adamant that Ten Hag lost the respect of the Manchester United dressing room last season when he dropped Ronaldo, who would subsequently go on to tear up his contract early and move to the Saudi Pro League.
Speaking on the Dutch TV show Veronica Offside, Sneijder stressed that was a factor behind Ten Hag's current struggles, saying: “He already made a mistake by competing with Ronaldo. He lost everyone’s respect there. He thought it would work the other way around, but of course not. Those guys in the dressing room thought, 'Is this man crazy?'”
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When it was then put to Sneijder that Ten Hag may be sacked at the end of the season, he added: “Of course, he already knows that he has to leave. But you’re not going to go yourself. If I was him, I would sit there comfortably [until he’s sacked].”
The absence of a renowned goalscorer like Ronaldo did not necessarily seem to have a negative impact on United's season, but they have struggled for goals this year with Marcus Rashford out of form and summer signing Rasmus Hojlund taking time to acclimatise to the Premier League.
Join the debate! Is Ten Hag still the right man for Man Utd? Let us know here.
Cristiano Ronaldo quit Manchester United after falling out with Ten Hag (Getty Images)Plenty of high-calibre coaches have been linked with the United role in light of their struggles. Thomas Tuchel, the outgoing Bayern Munich head coach, is the latest name who has been touted as an option for Ineos should they choose to dispense with Ten Hag.
While Ten Hag has remained defiant in the face of such speculation, he did plead for patience after he and his players were booed off after drawing with Burnley on Saturday.
He said: “We have some very young players and that is why we built this club back and that takes time. They are all in the first season of the Premier League and it gets more and more intense year by year. Those players have to adjust and that takes time. I am very impatient but we need patience.
“Even the great Man United teams, it takes time but everyone forgets - even the players who were in the team - they forget they were struggling and need time to progress.”
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