In the fall of 2022, a major controversy emerged from Manchester United when Cristiano Ronaldo departed Old Trafford. However, Steve McClaren, former assistant to Erik ten Hag, believes the Dutchman made the right call in parting ways with the Portuguese star.
McClaren explained that ten Hag treats all players equally, with a consistent set of standards for everyone. Those who don’t meet them must leave the team:
“I can’t fault his approach. He handled the situation very well. I said at the time that he was the right person for the job, and you could see it in how he managed Ronaldo’s exit. He was firm on the matter. That’s the Dutch way. He knew it had to be done. There was no room for compromise, and players had to take responsibility.
It was simple—either meet the standards or don’t play. So, he stood up to Ronaldo, and rightly so. Previous managers had tried to adjust for him, but Erik wasn’t willing to do that. Rangnick and Solskjaer tried, but it didn’t work. Ten Hag held his ground and focused on developing other players,” McClaren shared in an interview with The Telegraph.
