Ten Hag gives 17-word response as he breaks silence on Ronaldo’s Man Utd exit

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has attempted to quickly move on from speaking about former striker Cristiano Ronaldo as “it’s the past”.

The Portugal international made it clear to the Red Devils hierarchy that he wanted to leave in the summer transfer window after Man Utd failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Without any concrete interest from clubs in Europe, Ronaldo ended up staying for the first few months of the season before he and Man Utd mutually agreed to terminate his contract.

That came after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan was aired in which Ronaldo criticised the club, Ten Hag, former interim boss Ralf Rangnick, former players and more.

Man Utd now face a future without the 37-year-old but Ten Hag insists he is now looking to the future and the restart of the Premier League campaign.

“He’s gone and it’s the past,” Ten Hag told the club’s official website. “We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future.”

The loss of Ronaldo means they now only really have Marcus Rashford and injury-prone Anthony Martial as their main striker options and there is a possibility they could go into the January transfer market.

On the characteristics he looks for in a new signing, Ten Hag added: “We looked and with football players clearly that is the first thing, the capabilities a player has.

“The human being behind is also an important factor, but you can’t underestimate that. You need the right characters in your dressing room, not only if you want to win a game but if you want to win trophies.”

Ten Hag warned his Man Utd players before they competed at the World Cup that they would have to be prepared to get stuck straight back into club action on their return to Manchester.

“We had a plan, we have prepared the players with what the plan is so there can’t be any confusion about what the programme is,” Ten Hag continued.

“We make the players aware of the fact that, after you are out of the World Cup, you have to return to the club and the league immediately goes on.

“You have to be ready for that, but I think our players are used to it. Our players are winners, and they are battling now for the World Cup and in the moment they are out – hopefully one is the winner – they have to deal with that.

“With the success they have, or the defeats, they have to deal with it and of course they have to be ready for another challenge.”

On the potential for a successful second half of the season, Ten Hag said: “I have the feeling, we have the feeling, that we are in the right direction, but we also know that it’s still a lot of work to do for us here.

“First, we have to get the team in the position where we can win something. That’s our first focus.

“In December or January, no team wins a trophy. We have to get in the right position in April and that is what we have to work for.”

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