Former Manchester United midfielder Fred has criticised Erik ten Hag, describing the former manager as tactically strong but difficult to work with during his time at Old Trafford.
Fred said Ten Hag regularly clashed with members of the squad, including himself, Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro and Marcus Rashford. He also claimed the Dutchman’s rigid approach made his own situation increasingly stressful.
Fred criticises Erik ten Hag’s man-management
Speaking on the Charla Podcast, Fred said: “Ten Hag was tactically very good, but with the group he was a piece of crap.
“He argued with everyone. He argued with me, with Cristiano [Ronaldo], with Casemiro, with [Marcus] Rashford. He wouldn’t put me in to play, sometimes it got stressful.”
Despite his criticism, Fred praised Ten Hag’s coaching ability and described him as one of the best tacticians he had worked with.
Ten Hag’s relationship with Ronaldo was among the most high-profile disputes of his Manchester United tenure. The Portugal forward eventually left the club on bad terms after being dropped from the starting line-up.
Fred suggested the disagreement centred on Ten Hag’s demand for his players to run for the team. He said the manager removed Ronaldo from the starting side because the forward was older and was not covering the ground in the way Ten Hag expected.
Ten Hag initially made a positive impression at Old Trafford, but his results later deteriorated and he was replaced by Ruben Amorim. Fred’s comments offer his perspective on the tensions inside the Manchester United dressing room during that period.
