Fred savages ‘piece of crap’ former Man Utd boss as Ronaldo ‘falling out’ truths revealed
Former Manchester United midfielder Fred has labelled ex-Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag as a “piece of crap” when it comes to his squad management, while also revealing the truths behind his falling out with Old Trafford legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Fred joined United for £47million from Shakhtar Donetsk back in 2018 and spent five seasons at Old Trafford, scoring 14 goals in 213 total appearances for the club.
The Brazil international worked under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and spent one season under Ten Hag‘s stewardship before leaving for Fenerbahce in 2023.
Ten Hag’s exit came not long after Fred’s, although he did win an FA Cup the following season to salvage his job before being sacked after a shocking start to the 2024/25 campaign.
And while Fred was highly impressed with the Dutchman’s tactical nous, he clearly felt Ten Hag’s man-management skills were nowhere near up to standard.
“Ten Hag was tactically very good, but with the group he was a piece of crap,” he said on the Charla Podcast.
“He argued with everyone. He argued with me, with Cristiano [Ronaldo], with Casemiro, with Rashford … He wouldn’t put me in to play, sometimes it got stressful.
“[With Ten Hag] Only his Dutch players played. A clique-ridden coach. But, tactically, one of the best I’ve ever worked with.
“He wanted the team to run, but Cristiano [was already] older. He took Cristiano out [of the starting lineup], and then there was a falling out.”
Fred has kinder words for Solskjaer, Mourinho
Asked about the other managers he played under at Old Trafford, Fred, who now plays in Brazil for Atlético Mineiro, added: “Solskjaer was good with the group, but he was helped [in training] by the assistants. He united the group.
“Mourinho’s a great bloke, he is funny. I’ve just been with him at Fenerbahçe; he brought me to United.
“Before [Carlo] Ancelotti came along, his name was being mentioned for the national team [Brazil].
“So I’d show him the rumours and he’d say: ‘F*** off, mate. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to manage my club here.’ A really decent bloke.”
As for Ten Hag, he lasted just 62 days at Bayer Leverkusen after his sacking at United and now works as the technical director for FC Twente back in his homeland.
