New Delhi, Aug 9 : Former Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo was never the problem at the club, hinting that the issues lay deeper than the Portuguese striker, who left the club on poor terms during the Dutch head coach's reign.

Ronaldo left Manchester United for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in 2023 after having fallen out of favour with Ten Hag.

'For me, it is no problem; he was never the problem. I think it was what happened. It's the past, and after that, we won two trophies at Manchester United. I wish him all the best for the future, and I wish him the best of luck,' said Ten Hag.

Ten Hag went on to win an FA Cup and Carabao Cup with the Red Devils before he was sacked midway through the 2024/25 season. After spending the second half recharging his batteries, Ten Hag landed at Bayer Leverkusen. His comments follow after his side lost 0-2 against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly.

Two years after leaving United, Ronaldo fired shots at Ten Hag's mindset and approach and said a Manchester United coach should not have a mentality that the team can't fight for the league and UCL titles.

"They need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach says 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," Ronaldo told former teammate Rio Ferdinand in a podcast.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is gearing up for the new season with a bang. He scored a hat-trick against Liga Portugal side Rio Ave F.C. and will now face Al-Ittihad Club on Tuesday in the semifinal of the Saudi Super Cup.

/IANS