Man United boss hits back at Ronaldo criticisms: 'He's far away in Saudi'

The last thing Erik ten Hag needed was for Cristiano Ronaldo to reopen wounds with Manchester United.

Just weeks into the new season and a sense of crisis is already looming over Old Trafford. Two losses from the first three English Premier League rounds has left manager Ten Hag looking up at his rivals again, and club icon Ronaldo says United needs to "rebuild everything" to compete with the best.

"They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible," Ronaldo said in an interview with the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

Ronaldo was critical of Ten Hag when leaving United following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in 2022, in which he didn't respect the former Ajax manager.

His latest comments, in which he also accused Ten Hag of sending the wrong message regarding United's ambitions, come at a time when the Dutchman is battling to turn around his team's form after overseeing the club's worst league season in 34 years.

"So, he's far away in Saudi (Arabia), far from Manchester. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion. It's okay," Ten Hag responded.

But Ronaldo's comments have cast another unhelpful spotlight on his former manager after losses to Liverpool and Fulham around a win over Brighton.

United goes to Southampton on Saturday, the start of a difficult run in the league that includes trips to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa and a home match against Tottenham.

Ten Hag, who kept his job after an internal review in the summer, was backed in the transfer market by new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe with six signings during the window. Also, the manager was publicly supported by the hierarchy.

Three hours before the Liverpool home game on Sept. 1, new CEO Omar Berrada and sporting