Wesley Sneijder suggests Erik ten Hag lost the Man Utd dressing room with a bold move that ‘lost everyone’s respect’

ERIK TEN HAG lost the Manchester United dressing room when he fired Cristiano Ronaldo, says Wesley Sneijder.

The 54-year-old Dutchman got rid of Ronaldo in November 2022, after the striker’s interview with Piers Morgan.

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Ronaldo, 39, said at the time that he “didn’t respect” Ten Hag, having been removed from the former Ajax coach’s starting eleven.

The Portuguese veteran started just four Premier League games under Ten Hag before having his £500,000-a-week contract terminated.

He later left European football to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Sneijder, who briefly overlapped with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, believes Ten Hag’s hardline stance may have backfired.

Appearing on Dutch program Veronica Offside, the 39-year-old said of his compatriot Ten Hag: “He has already made a mistake competing with Ronaldo.

“He lost the respect of everyone there. He thought it would work the other way around, but of course it didn’t.

“Those guys in the dressing room thought, ‘Is this man crazy?'”

Ten Hag will have one year left on his contract at Man Utd at the end of the season.

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Experts’ verdict on Ten Hag’s future

What are the experts’ stance on Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United?

Jamie Carragher – fired

“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag will stay. It’s just performance after performance.”

Gary Neville – Stay if you win the FA Cup

“Firing a manager who won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club would be extreme.”

Louis Saha – On the fence

“I don’t see it so clearly, but they need changes from the players, but they also need changes from him.”

Alan Shearer – fired

“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager has already been determined. Even if they win the FA Cup, I think he is gone.”

With the Red Devils now mathematically guaranteed to be outside the top four, the pressure has mounted on their boss’s shoulders.

There has been speculation that Ineos, who bought a 27.7 percent stake in United at the start of this season, could look to hire their own manager.

On the prospect of leaving Ten Hag United, Sneijder added: “Of course he already knows he needs to leave.

“But you won’t go alone. If I were him, I’d sit there comfortably [until he’s sacked].”

Ajax are reportedly interested in bringing Ten Hag back to Amsterdam, where he spent five years as coach between 2017 and 2022.

However, they fear that even if he leaves Old Trafford, Ten Hag could covet another job in a more prestigious league than the Eredivisie.

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