Dutch football expert Marcel van de Kraan believes Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could be made all the stronger following Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo, who is currently with the Portugal squad gearing up for the start of the World Cup this coming weekend, slammed Ten Hag in one of a handful of snippets that have so far been released from the interview with Piers Morgan, ahead of it airing in full on TV later this week. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner accused the Dutchman of showing 'no respect' towards him.
Ten Hag, throughout his premiership as United manager so far, has publicly defended Ronaldo on countless occasions, regularly confirming that he still as a part to play in his plans. The striker, however, has found opportunities hard to come by this term, starting just four times in the Premier League.
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United, who have arguably been better when Ronaldo has not played this season, have developed a new identity and have had a new culture drilled into them by Ten Hag, whose decisions this term have often been supported by the fans. He has created a collective vision, encouraging every single member of his squad to sing from the same hymn sheet, similar to what he did at his former club Ajax.
"Of course it is the first time in his career that he has worked with a mega, mega star," Van de Kraan told Sky Sports. "But from day one when I went over to Manchester and saw the first few weeks of how he was working there, I could tell there was nothing he was doing differently to when he was at Ajax.
"At Ajax it was all about the team; it was not about any stars, and there was a couple of little stars in that team. He always made sure everyone was treated the same.
"Why did he have that approach? And why did he have that approach when he joined Manchester United?
"At Ajax he had a budget of nothing. He had a playing squad and half of them were rejects from the Premier League that had not made it, yet he almost made it to the final of the Champions League. They had a fantastic way of playing, a fantastic team spirit and stuck to his own ideas and philosophy.
"That is how he wanted to work at Manchester United, whether there was a man like Ronaldo or not. Yet he still wanted to treat him with as much respect as possible, because he felt with the status of his career he had to give him that respect. In that way he could not have done anymore."
Ten Hag, despite often being a calm and measured figure on the touchline, is one of the most passionate managers you could come across. He is desperate to taste success at Old Trafford and Van de Kraan, highlighting the United manager's aspirations, believes the whole saga concerning Ronaldo could help him.
Van de Kraan added: "Ten Hag has never been bothered about his reputation, because he comes from a family who are not short of money, to put it mildly. He never went into management to become a millionaire.
"There was only his football desire, the way he wanted to be with a team and how he wanted to achieve success as a manager. That was all that counted for him. I think he will come out stronger."
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