"Don’t disrespect the greatest" - Piers Morgan slams ex-Manchester United boss as Cristiano Ronaldo wins Nations League with Portugal

British TV personality Piers Morgan has slammed former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after Cristiano Ronaldo helped Portugal to another UEFA Nations League title. The 40-year-old icon found the back of the net to draw his side level before they beat Spain 5-3 on penalties to become the first team to win the competition twice.

In a post made on his X account, the presenter blasted Ten Hag for his treatment of the Portuguese superstar during their time together at the club, writing:

"Erik Ten Hag treated Ronaldo like dirt and drove him out of United. Roberto Martinez backed him to be his main man for Portugal at 40. One got fired, the other just won a trophy. Moral? Don’t disrespect the greatest to ever play the game."

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 from Juventus for a reported € 17 million and performed impressively at the club before Ole Gunnar Solskjær was dismissed. Following the appointment of Erik Ten Hag, the legendary striker was sidelined, and his frosty relationship with the Dutchman led to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner leaving the club after he had an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

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What Cristiano Ronaldo had to say about former Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag

In September last year, Cristiano Ronaldo tore into former Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag for his statements during his time in charge of the club. The Dutchman endured a frosty relationship with the legendary forward, and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was not impressed with how Ten Hag led the side.

In a discussion with his former teammate Rio Ferdinand on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the legendary forward said (via GOAL):

"As I told you, Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the League and Champions League. (As) Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you're not going to fight to win the League or Champions League. If Ten Hag listens to Ruud, maybe he can (help himself). I think it can help a lot because he knows the club and the club should listen (to) the guys who were there."

Cristiano Ronaldo concluded by insisting :

"You [Rio] or Roy Keane or Paul Scholes or Gary Neville, whatever, Sir Alex Ferguson. You cannot, you cannot rebuild a club without knowledge. Not guys who work in office. They understand. The people who understand the football, it was, 99 per cent is the people who were there in the dressing room. They know how to deal with the players. It’s the people who understand these things. So I believe that Ruud is going to help because he was inside the club. He knows the club. He knows the fans. If the coach listens to him, I think they can improve a little bit the club."

Ronaldo's warnings did not see an improvement from the former Ajax manager, and he was dismissed from the club the following month after a poor start that had the English giants in the bottom half of the EPL table.

Edited by Parag Jain