It was just over a year ago that Erik ten Hag and Manchester United parted ways, with Ruben Amorim appointed the new boss. He is now being linked with a return to his former club, Ajax
Erik ten Hag reportedly fell out with a total of seven Manchester United players before leaving his role as manager in 2024. United legend Cristiano Ronaldo was one of them and has spoken openly about his poor relationship with the former Ajax boss.
The 55-year-old coach spent four and a half years at the helm of Ajax, and following his departure from Bayer Leverkusen, he is being linked with a return to the Dutch capital after John Heitinga was sacked. It was just over a year ago that Ten Hag and United parted ways, with Ruben Amorim appointed the new boss.
In the wake of his departure, reports emerged that he had lost the dressing room, with players and fans turning against him. In particular, some of his most important players had reportedly lost faith in him. Here, MEN takes a look at seven players that the Dutchman reportedly fell out with.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Perhaps the most well-known feud was with Ronaldo. The Real Madrid legend’s return to Old Trafford was highly anticipated in 2021, and despite netting 27 goals in 54 games, his contract was terminated by United following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, in which Ronaldo criticised the club and Ten Hag.
The Dutch boss would later detail that Ronaldo “had to go”, with the Portuguese icon moving on to Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, which is where he continues to play.
The feud reignited in September 2024, when Ronaldo said on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast: “Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League.
“Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the league or Champions League. You have to be, to mentally say, ‘Listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try.’ You have to try.”
Harry Maguire
Despite still being on the books at United, Maguire almost left the club under Ten Hag, but his move to West Ham United collapsed in 2023.
He was captain when the former Ajax boss came to the club, but ended up losing the armband and was placed on the transfer list, leading to the proposed move to London Stadium.
Maguire himself addressed the uncertainty surrounding Ten Hag’s leadership, suggesting it had a direct impact on their results on the field. “It was tough,” he said. “It probably did damage our performances and results throughout the season.”
Zidane Iqbal
During a training session in Australia over three years ago, footage showed Ten Hag berating youngster Zidane Iqbal for not keeping the ball on the ground: “Keep the ball on the floor… Zidane! Hey! Keep the ball! F***ing rubbish!”
Although some professionals would argue this is not a rare sight in the elite game, Iqbal was not given a single opportunity in the following 2022/2023 season despite showing promise. He would end up signing for Utrecht for £850k, where he still plays.
Jadon Sancho
At one point, Jadon Sancho had the world at his feet. He was lighting up the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and finally got a well-deserved move to United. However, it has not yet worked out for the 25-year-old, who has since spent time on loan with Chelsea and Aston Villa.
Like Ronaldo, Sancho has also publicly locked horns with Ten Hag, who dropped the attacking player for a match against Arsenal, citing “poor training performance”.
Sancho took to social media to say that he was being made a “scapegoat” and completely denied the claim he had been performing badly in training, reportedly infuriating the United boss. He was subsequently loaned back to his former club, Dortmund, for the season, and it still hasn’t worked out for him at United.
Anthony Martial
Similar to Sancho, Martial was also once touted as one of the most promising players in world football. However, at 29, Martial has not fulfilled his potential.
Now playing for Monterrey in the Mexican league, Martial’s decline could be attributed to the time he was ostracised from the United squad. During the 2023/2024 season, he was cast out of first-team training, despite suffering from illness, as part of Ten Hag’s clear-out strategy.
Martial was out for four matches due to illness and was then deemed unfit by Ten Hag and was forced to train alone. His contract was allowed to expire last year, and he ended up signing with AEK Athens, with whom he spent a season.
Marcus Rashford
Despite being one of the better performers in Ten Hag’s maiden season, Rashford also experienced the ruthless side of Ten Hag.
On New Year’s Eve in 2022, United were playing Wolves away from home. Rashford arrived 45 seconds late to the team meeting and was subsequently dropped from the starting lineup. However, he would go on to score the decisive goal in the 76th minute after coming on as a substitute.
Rashford spoke about this with Gary Neville on an episode of The Overlap. “I wasn’t even that late – he wasn’t being harsh – late is late, but it was probably about 45 seconds, a minute late,” he said. “I already knew what was going to happen because of the rules he implemented in pre-season. Rules are rules and we’ve got a game to win.”
David de Gea
David de Gea, one of the most talented goalkeepers in United’s history, had his position under threat once Ten Hag took over, who began immediately looking for a new keeper once he arrived.
Contract negotiations did not go as planned in 2023, and De Gea ultimately left United after 12 years at the club. He now plies his trade with Fiorentina in Serie A.
Ten Hag then brought in his former Ajax player, Andre Onana, as De Gea’s replacement, although that transfer hasn’t yet worked out. He is currently on loan at Trabzonspor.
Fans speculated that De Gea was celebrating Ten Hag’s departure from United last year when he posted a cryptic message to social media with the pinched finger emoji.
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2025-11-15 07:30:00
