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Cristiano Ronaldo's conflict with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United split the dressing room over who was in the wrong, former Red Devils assistant Steve McClaren has disclosed.
Ronaldo's second spell at United in 2021 lasted barely a year as tensions with Ten Hag, his manager at the time, boiled over regarding his role within the side. Following a very public outburst, his contract was mutually terminated before he made the move to Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr.
"Erik tried to enforce his philosophy and that's why he had that ongoing battle with Ronaldo throughout," McClaren, who served as Ten Hag's assistant, told The Athletic. "I said to Erik, very early on, 'It's you or him.'"
"Ronaldo was generally fine, but he was unwilling to fulfill the role that Erik needed him to play. Or didn't believe he was capable of doing it. The out-of-possession instructions were, 'Get central, as soon as you're back, you're the first to press, then double run, even a triple run every now and then.'"
"I used to tell Ronnie, 'If you want to be in the team, that's what you need to do.' He'd argue back, 'Ah, nobody wants to press.' I'd say, 'Well, they're all young lads, they're able to press.'"
"It's correct that 11 players attack, 11 players defend. Not 11 players attack, 10 players defend. So I said, 'You have to run, it's that simple, Ronnie. If you won't, you won't play.'"
"Perhaps other managers have tried to adjust and accommodate him to get the most out of his ability. The balance of that was crucial. You probably had half the squad thinking, 'We side with Ronnie,' and the other half thinking, 'We side with Erik.'"
McClaren: 'Automatic Respect for Coaches' Gone
McClaren's time under Ten Hag was not his first experience in the Old Trafford dugout. While best known as a manager in his own right, McClaren's career started as a number two, and he spent 142 matches alongside United icon Sir Alex Ferguson between 1999 and 2001.
Drawing comparisons between the two groups of players he worked with across different eras, McClaren suggested that modern players no longer show the instinctive deference that managers once commanded.
"The first question [players] ask is, 'Can that man help us win football matches?'" he continued. "That's all. Not be my friend, not be this, not be that. Can you help me win football matches?"
"Every time you fall short, they're looking at you thinking, 'Hmm, why are we doing this?' There probably isn't that instinctive respect for coaches anymore. The game has evolved."
"With Fergie, he was right or you were out. If you weren't on his side and he sensed it, you were gone. That was the authority and power he had built up over many years."
"Now, the problems we faced with Erik at the start, Fergie had those exact same issues. He used to share stories about battling all the drinkers. Fergie said, 'I fought them every single day, Steve.' I told him, 'I'd have loved to have been your assistant back then.' I don't think I'd have made it through, but I'd have loved it. The characters."
"The Gaffer, Sir Alex, was given time to get it done. Erik wasn't afforded the same luxury. In some ways, I could understand it. But in other respects, I couldn't, because he did win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup."