Fred on Ten Hag is about as blunt as it gets. The former Manchester United midfielder has given a withering verdict on his old manager, calling him “a piece of c***” while still praising the coaching work on the training ground.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Fred made the comments on the Charla Podcast. They give supporters a rare inside account of life under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. Supporters can read the original report for Fred’s full remarks. His words split neatly in two: respect for the tactics, and real anger at how the squad was managed.
What Fred says about the dressing room
Fred did not hold back when he turned to life under Ten Hag.
“Ten Hag was tactically very good, but with the group he was a piece of c***. He argued with everyone,” he said on the Charla Podcast, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.
He went further and named the senior players involved.
“He argued with me, with Cristiano [Ronaldo], with Casemiro, with [Marcus] Rashford …” Fred said. Rashford, Casemiro and Ronaldo were all central figures in that squad, which makes Fred’s list of names significant. Cristiano Ronaldo, on his departure, came up with claims of his own against Erik ten Hag’s arguments with him.
Fred joined United in 2018, completing his move from Shakhtar Donetsk. That came not long after a reported fitness scare, which we covered in our Fred injury update at the time. He left for Fenerbahce in 2023. So his account covers one turbulent stretch under Ten Hag, not his whole United career.
Why the numbers and selection claims matter
Fred said Ten Hag did not always pick him. He tied that straight to favouritism inside the squad.
“Only his Dutch players played. A clique-ridden coach. But, tactically, one of the best I’ve ever worked with,” he said on the podcast.
That is a striking admission. Fred clearly rated Ten Hag’s coaching, yet he still felt shut out by his man management. A claim that only Dutch players were trusted is more than a one-off gripe. He points to a pattern in team selection over months, not just a single bad week.
Fred also linked one tactical demand, that the team runs more, to his account of a fallout with Cristiano Ronaldo. Put together, his comments describe a manager who could build a strong shape on the training pitch but still lost the dressing room that had to deliver it on matchday. That gap between method and man management is exactly what split opinion on Ten Hag during his time at the club, and why fans still argue about his legacy now.
What this means for how United fans judge Ten Hag
Ten Hag left United on 28 October 2024, after Sir Jim Ratcliffe ended his time in charge. Ruud van Nistelrooy stepped in as interim manager. Ruben Amorim was then appointed as Ten Hag’s permanent successor.
Fred on Ten Hag carries real weight for one simple reason. He lived inside that dressing room, not the stands. His praise for the tactical side backs up what many supporters already believed. United often looked well organised before things fell apart off the pitch.
The picture of arguments with Ronaldo, Casemiro and Rashford, alongside a clique built around Dutch players, helps explain why a tactically sound side still struggled for harmony. It does not prove Ten Hag was wrong, or that the senior players were right. It simply gives supporters a first-hand account to weigh against the results, rather than relying on speculation alone.
United have since moved on. Squad business has continued well beyond the Ten Hag years, including the transfer news covered in our Sir Alex report and our Lausanne move report.
Fred, meanwhile, has settled into life at Fenerbahce, far removed from the row he describes at Old Trafford. His comments will not settle the debate about Ten Hag’s time at United, but they give fans a clearer sense of what really happened behind the scenes.
