Erik ten Hag butted heads with seven Man Utd stars earlier than lastly getting fired

Seven players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, had a falling out with former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag during his tenure.

The Dutch manager bid farewell to Old Trafford last month as his team struggled in both the Premier League and Europa League. Ruben Amorim is set to step into the dugout as a new era dawns.

However, Ten Hag’s departure was far from amicable, with reports suggesting that both the dressing room and fans had turned against him, and some of his key players had lost all faith. During his two-year stint at the helm of the Red Devils, he was known for having occasional disputes.

So Daily Star Sport has a look at seven stars who clashed with the 54-year-old before he was shown the exit door in Manchester.

Cristiano Ronaldo

CR7’s much-hyped comeback fell flat, and his second United chapter closed abruptly just beyond a year after his grand return, reports the Mirror.

Just over 12 months after he arrived in Manchester, the superstar’s contract was terminated following a fiery interview with Piers Morgan. In the interview, Ronaldo criticised the club’s subpar condition and his new manager, Ten Hag, calling him a “liar” and stating that he didn’t respect him.

This led to a complete breakdown in relations between Ronaldo and Ten Hag, who later said that the 39-year-old “had to go”. And go he did, leaving for the Saudi Pro League and Al-Nassr.

In September, he reignited his feud with Ten Hag, criticising the manager’s modest ambitions by saying: “Man United manager… you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the Premier League or Champions League.”

Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho’s hefty £73 million price tag loomed large at Old Trafford, and he was another player who publicly clashed with Ten Hag.

Two years after his arrival, the Dutchman benched him against Arsenal due to ‘poor training performances,’ and Ten Hag warned other players not to follow suit.

The winger took umbrage at this, posting on social media after the game that this allegation was “completely untrue” and branding himself a “scapegoat.” This reportedly infuriated his head coach.

In January, Sancho was loaned out to his former club, Borussia Dortmund. Despite returning this year after seemingly making peace with Ten Hag, he was still sent on loan to Chelsea, suggesting there was still some tension between the pair.

Zidane Iqbal

Ten Hag didn’t just butt heads with senior players during his time in charge, as young talent Zidane Iqbal also found himself at odds with the Dutchman.

In July 2022, Iqbal, who had been given a few pre-season opportunities in the first team, seemed to have a promising future at United but was subjected to a foul-mouthed tirade from Ten Hag.

In a fiery training video, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag can be heard berating youngster Zidane Iqbal: “Keep the ball on the floor… Zidane! Hey! Keep the ball! F***ing rubbish! “.

Despite hoping for a loan spell in January, Iqbal would spend the entire 2022/23 season without a senior competitive minute under the Dutch gaffer, and eventually, he’d end up leaving Old Trafford to join Utrecht for a modest £850k.

Harry Maguire

Harry Maguire started well under Ten Hag, but things turned sour as he lost his place and captaincy. Despite Maguire’s desire to prove himself and stay put, even passing on a chance to move to West Ham in 2023, Ten Hag did not grant him any reprieve.

This was a decision that remained unchanged until Ten Hag’s own departure, with Maguire, still cast out of the spotlight, waiting to see if new coach Amorim will bring changes.

The defender has openly discussed the challenging times, admitting: “It was tough. It probably did damage our performances and results throughout the season.”

Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial’s standing with former manager Erik ten Hag hit a new low after he was forced to train alone for not being match fit following illness.

His troubled times at Old Trafford ended as his contract ran down this summer, two years after a forgettable loan spell at Sevilla. Today, Martial can be found plying his trade with AEK Athens.

Marcus Rashford

Even though Marcus Rashford shone in Ten Hag’s first season, bagging 30 goals, he too felt the Dutchman’s firm approach.

Back on New Year’s Eve in 2022, Rashford fell foul of Ten Hag for turning up just 45 seconds late to a meeting before their Wolves game, leading to being dropped from the starting line-up.

Despite claiming he “wasn’t even that late” to Gary Neville on The Overlap, Rashford still carved out a personal triumph by scoring the winner when brought on at halftime.

David de Gea

Goalkeeper David de Gea, despite having been a key figure for United, saw his position come under scrutiny. Erik ten Hag seemed keen on bringing in fresh goalkeeping talent shortly after arriving in Manchester.

Contract negotiations between the club and De Gea collapsed in 2023, leading to the Spaniard’s departure. He later joined Fiorentina on a free transfer after taking a break from football.

Andre Onana, who was Ten Hag’s first-choice keeper at Ajax, was quickly brought in and is expected to be Amorim’s preferred choice between the sticks.

After Ten Hag was sacked last month, De Gea shared a cryptic post on X with a pinched finger emoji, leading some supporters to believe that the 34 year old was celebrating the manager’s dismissal.