{
  "id": 15776590,
  "title": "EPL: He was telling players 'save your legs' - Ten Hag opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/epl-he-was-telling-players-save-your-legs-ten-hag-opens-up-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T17:26:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/20/epl-he-was-telling-players-save-your-legs-ten-hag-opens-up-on-cristiano-ronaldo/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo failed to meet the club's expectations during his second stint at Old Trafford. In an interview with The Athletic, ten Hag discussed the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo's return to the club. The Dutch tactician expressed his admiration for Ronaldo, acknowledging him as one of the greatest players in football history. However, he acknowledged that Ronaldo had disappointed him and the squad, as their plans for the player's involvement did not pan out. Ten Hag traveled to Portugal to meet with Ronaldo before becoming Manchester United's manager, but despite their discussions, the Portuguese forward struggled to fit into the team's tactical system. He failed to effectively position himself in the penalty area to capitalize on scoring opportunities, which ten Hag attributed to Ronaldo's inadequate physical conditioning. The manager urged Ronaldo to save his legs during training, emphasizing that the top player must work for the team.",
  "summary": "Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed that legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo failed to meet expectations during their time together at Old Trafford. In an interview with The Athletic , ten Hag discussed the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United. Ten Hag revealed that he travelled to Portugal to meet Ronaldo […] EPL: He was telling players…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Ten Hag on managing Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United: ‘He let me down’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/ten-hag-on-managing-cristiano-ronaldo-at-manchester-united-he-let-me",
        "published": "2026-10-20T10:19:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}