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Fred and Ten Hag exchange criticisms over United tenure

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2026-10-20 16:04 UTC → 2026-10-21 02:54 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Former Manchester United midfielder Fred has criticized former manager Erik ten Hag regarding his leadership and squad management. Speaking on the ‘Charla Podcast’, Fred acknowledged Ten Hag’s tactical proficiency, calling him “one of the best I’ve ever worked with,” but heavily criticized his interpersonal skills. Fred alleged that Ten Hag fostered cliques within the team, stating, “Only his Dutch players played. He was a coach of little groups.” He noted that the manager frequently clashed with several key players, including himself, Casemiro, Marcus Rashford, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Regarding the friction with Ronaldo, Fred explained that the tension arose from a philosophical disagreement over playing style, noting that Ten Hag demanded a high-pressing, high-intensity running game that conflicted with Ronaldo’s stage of career. Erik ten Hag has since responded to his tenure and dismissal by INEOS, expressing disappointment over what he described as “broken promises” by club leadership. In an interview with The Athletic, he alleged that the takeover process created a “toxic culture” and a lack of communication. He specifically cited the sale of Scott McTominay to Napoli as an instance where his transfer requests were ignored, calling the decision “disappointing and embarrassing.” ~~He further claimed the sale went against a prior agreement made in Ibiza to retain the player.~~ Addressing the conflict with Cristiano Ronaldo, Ten Hag countered Fred’s assessment by alleging the striker let the team down through a lack of physical preparation. Ten Hag ~~stated that~~ claimed Ronaldo failed to ~~run sufficiently to~~ reach ~~scoring positions~~ required heart-rate levels during training and recalled an incident following a 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022, where Ronaldo reportedly completed only two of three required running laps. He further alleged that ~~the forward~~ Ronaldo encouraged teammates to ‘save your legs at the training,’ which impacted the team's collective intensity. ~~Ten Hag also revealed that his efforts to sign Harry Kane in 2023 and Frenkie de Jong were unsuccessful as the club opted for other options.~~

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