Manchester United coach Erik Ten Hag has broken his silence on Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from the club, saying what happened with the 37-year-old “is in the past”.
The Premier League side and Ronaldo agreed to mutually terminate his contract after his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo had claimed he “feels betrayed” and “forced out” of the club, also revealing that he has “no respect” for Ten Hag.
The United coach has now for the first time spoken about Ronaldo, but insisted he is looking at the future
“He’s gone and it’s the past. We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future,” he told MUTV.
#AD: Choose any unlimited 4G or 5G plan. Only start paying next month.
Ten Hag also explained that the club’s participants at the FIFA World Cup are expected to return to Manchester as soon as their countries are knocked out of the tournament.
“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,” he said.
“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 and hopefully one is the winner, but then 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.”