Ronaldo: Manchester United need to rebuild and Ten Hag's behaviour is too negative

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has called Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's behaviour "very negative" and urged him to target the Premier League title despite the club needing to "rebuild from scratch".

The current Al-Nassr striker, who is a five-time world player of the year, had a falling out with Ten Hag before his second spell with United ended in late 2022.

Ronaldo, 39, who has now scored 901 goals in his club and international career, believes his former club needs radical changes, but believes Ten Hag should not rule out winning major trophies at the same time.

After winning the FA Cup and League Cup, Ten Hag said he was "absolutely confident" of winning more trophies, but also indicated that his team was "still a long way" from being ready to win the league title that has eluded them since Alex Ferguson's final season in 2013.

Clutch Vibes Again…. @Cristiano
This guy ain't stopping anytime soon!

Part 2 coming this week 👀🐐 #Cristiano pic.twitter.com/kOdlUjSsuM

- Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) September 8, 2024

"Manchester need to rebuild everything, in my opinion," Ronaldo said in an episode of the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, which is due to air on Thursday.

"The coach says they can't compete to win the league and the Champions League. Manchester United manager, you can't say you won't fight to win the league or the Champions League," he added.

The Red Devils finished eighth in the league last season, their lowest finish since 1990, and were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star continued: "This club needs time to rebuild because it is still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change."

"They understand that. That's the only way. That's why they show that they are starting to change again in the structure of the club, the president, the infrastructure, the owners of the club," he continued.

Ronaldo, who spent six seasons with United at the start of his career, scored 27 goals in 54 games during his second spell at Old Trafford after joining from Juventus in 2021.

After more than a year out, he said he felt "betrayed" and made his opinion of Ten Hag clear: "I don't respect him because he doesn't show me respect."

However, he stressed that he still loves the club, adding: "I'm not happy with what happened, but at the same time, we can't control some things in our lives sometimes, but it's over already."

"I love this club. I'm not the type of person who forgets the past," he continued.

(beIN Sports)