Ex-Liverpool star Jose Enrique says Ten Hag 'killed' Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United star with his comments

Liverpool legend Jose Enrique has said that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag killed Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho with his comments during his feud with both players.

Ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo endured a fractured relationship during their time at Manchester United. The Portuguese icon was unhappy with the way he was treated by the Dutchman and lashed out at him during a controversial interview with Piers Morgan last year.

When queried on the subject, the tactician played down the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's rants. Eventually, the Dutchman triumphed as Manchester United mutually decided to terminate Ronaldo's contract.

Reflecting on the developments between the duo, Jose Enrique hailed the way Ten Hag handled the situation, saying an exclusive interview with Daily Star Sport:

"I think [Ten Hag's] comments about Cristiano killed him. The manager handled the situation really well in what was a much bigger issue because he's f***ing Cristiano Ronaldo."

Cristiano Ronaldo isn't the only player to have fallen out with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. Jadon Sancho has also found himself on bad terms with the tactician this season.

Things broke down between the pair after Sancho hit back at the Dutchman on social media for criticising his output in training following the 3-1 loss to Arsenal. Sancho has refused to apologize to Ten Hag and has been banished from the first team as a result.

About the Englishman's case, however, Jose Enrique isn't impressed. The former Liverpool star explained that Ten Hag was wrong for publicly calling out the attacker.

"It's wrong what Ten Hag said in the press, I think it killed him [Sancho]," the Spaniard said.

"With him going in the press and saying what he said [about Sancho] I don't think it was good. I think these sorts of things they need to keep private and talk between themselves," he added.

Jadon Sancho is expected to follow in Cristiano Ronaldo's footsteps by parting ways with the Red Devils. With the transfer window set to reopen in just a couple of days, it'd be interesting to see how his case concludes.

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Erik ten Hag could lose his job at Manchester United

It's quite obvious that Manchester United have been nowhere near the level that's expected of them this season. Erik ten Hag appears to be lacking ideas on how to get the team back on track after their terrible start to the season.

The Red Devils have already suffered premature elimination from both the UEFA Champions League and the EFL Cup. They're also not doing any better in the Premier League where they occupy eighth place in the table with 28 points from 18 games.

Unless there's a significant turnaround in the coming weeks, Erik ten Hag's job isn't safe. This is especially considering that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has completed the purchase of a minority stake (25%) at the club.

Ten Hag will hope to overturn a four-game winless run when United host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Boxing Day.