ERIK TEN HAG borrowed a famous quote from Cristiano Ronaldo after Man Utd’s 3-0 win over Southampton.
Ten Hag has been locked in a war of words with Ronaldo over the past week, having already feuded with the superstar during his second spell at United in 2022.
After Marcus Rashford bagged his first Premier League goal in SIX MONTHS, Ten Hag weighed in on what he expects from Rashford going forward.
The Dutchman told TNT Sports: “It’s very important. For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list.
“Once the first is in, more is coming. Once a striker was talking about a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more.”
His unusual ketchup reference is an analogy that Ronaldo has used in the past as a way to describe when a striker hits goal-scoring form.
Ronaldo had previously offered the condiment-themed advice Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota, while he has used the quip multiple other times throughout his career – first referencing it back in 2010.
In fact, he even used the hilarious quip during the Champions League league stage draw just two weeks ago.
In between playing a key role in the draw, pressing his magic buzzer, the iconic for United star said: “I was the most expensive player in the world and there was always pressure ‘when are you going to win the Champions League?’
“And we spent like six years [waiting], but as you know the Champions League and the goals – they are like Ketchup. When you open, they start coming!”
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Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the Theatre of Dreams in 2021 after some 12 years away from the club where he first rose to fame.
It looked like a fairytale return for one of the games’ greatest ever players, but things soon turned sour at the Manchester club.
Ronaldo arrived for less than £20m and walked back into Premier League football like he had never left, netting 18 goals and registering three assists in his first league campaign back.
That run saw him top United’s list of scorers for the season thanks to hat-tricks against Spurs and Norwich and a number of crucial last minute goals.
But things took a turn in his second season as he fell out of favour after the arrival of new boss Erik ten Hag.
Despite his impressive return in the previous season many fans and media outlets were claiming that his overall influence on the team was detrimental to results.
Things got even worse when Ronaldo refused to come on against Spurs in October 2022, prompting Ten Hag to drop him from the squad for the following game against Chelsea.
While it was also reported that Ronaldo had left Old Trafford early following the interaction with his boss.
The final straw was an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which Ronaldo took aim at Ten Hag, Man Utd’s culture and hinted about a potential exit.
That exit shortly followed as Ronaldo saw his contract with Man Utd terminated in November 2022.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner penned a mega money deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, bringing an end to a tumultuous second spell with Man Utd.
However, Ten Hag didn’t make any reference to the Al-Nassr superstar when using the quote – at least not directly.
Instead he seemed to refer to Ronaldo as “a striker” during his interview.
The pair continue to find themselves feuding after Ronaldo slammed Ten Hag’s mentality and claimed Man Utd need to “rebuild everything”.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ronaldo said: “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.
“You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.”
However, Ten Hag launched a spikey rebuttal to the quotes, suggesting that Ronaldo is the one saying that Man Utd aren’t good enough to compete for the biggest trophies.
Champions League and the goals – they are like Ketchup. When you open, they start coming!
Cristiano Ronaldo
He said: “He [Ronaldo] said that Manchester United can’t win the Premier League. He said this if you read the article very well.
Adding: “[It] doesn’t impact me, I know in the process where we are, where we’re going.”
Ten Hag and Ronaldo have history from Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford in 2022.
In fact, Ronaldo lasted less than half a season under the former Ajax boss when he played under him during his return to Man Utd.
The Portuguese powerhouse saw his contract ripped up in November 2022 after he had blasted his then-boss in a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
The sour ending to Ronaldo’s homecoming allowed the five-time Ballon d’or winner to secure his move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr.
Since making the switch to the Middle East, Ronaldo has scored 62 goals and registered 17 assists in his 68 appearances.
