Fred on Ten Hag: tactically strong, but divisive

Fred has revealed that Erik ten Hag argued with four of his biggest Manchester United teammates, even as he rated the Dutchman one of the best coaches he has ever worked with.

Speaking on the Charla Podcast, the Brazilian said Ten Hag clashed with him, Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro and Marcus Rashford, and called him a clique-ridden coach who favoured his fellow Dutch players.

Fred on Ten Hag is a verdict split cleanly in two: tactical respect, personal scorn.

The remarks are Fred’s own view, not an official Manchester United position. They follow his move from Old Trafford to Fenerbahce in 2023 and add a sharp personal note to our full report on Fred’s remarks.

Fred: How it all unfolded

Fred joined United in 2018 from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported £52.5million, according to the Manchester Evening News.

He spent five seasons at the club before leaving for Fenerbahce in 2023, overlapping with Ten Hag for one full campaign under the Dutchman’s management.

Ten Hag had arrived at Old Trafford in 2022 and earned a one-year contract extension in the summer of 2024.

That faith did not last long. United sacked him in late October 2024 with the club 14th in the Premier League and just eight points from seven matches.

Ruud van Nistelrooy stepped in as interim manager before Ruben Amorim was appointed as his permanent successor.

According to Fred on the Charla Podcast, he put it bluntly: “Ten Hag was tactically very good, but with the group he was a piece of ****.

He argued with everyone.” He then named names: “He argued with me, with Cristiano [Ronaldo] , with Casemiro , with [Marcus] Rashford …” as relayed by the the Manchester Evening News.

A tactically strong but divisive coach

Fred’s assessment matches a pattern many United supporters already suspected: strong on ideas, short on man-management.

According to Fred on the Charla Podcast: “Only his Dutch players played. A clique-ridden coach. But, tactically, one of the best I’ve ever worked with.”

That pairing is the real story. This is not simply a player airing an old grudge. It is a senior figure from that dressing room praising the coaching while describing a manager who lost the group around him, naming Ronaldo, Casemiro and Rashford as evidence that the friction reached well beyond one player.

Four high-profile names depict more than a single bust-up; they describe a manager who struggled to hold a changing room together.

Tactically strong, divisive with people: that is Fred on Ten Hag in six words, and it tracks with how the Ten Hag era at United is remembered by many who watched it closely.

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