Erik ten Hag's decision to ditch Cristiano Ronaldo was the beginning of his downfall at Manchester United, according to Wesley Sneijder.
The United manager clashed with the Portuguese star after dropping him to the bench during the early weeks of his Old Trafford tenure.
Things reached a head when Ronaldo told Piers Morgan he felt 'betrayed' by Ten Hag and wanted to leave the club, making several scathing comments about the set-up.
Ronaldo's contract was terminated by mutual agreement with immediate effect and he went on to sign for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
While United looked stronger in Ronaldo's absence last season, they have struggled this term and look likely to miss out on Champions League qualification.
Former Netherlands midfielder Sneijder gave a forthright opinion on the causes of Ten Hag's problems as he fights to keep his job.
'Should I tell you where it went wrong for Erik ten Hag?' He told Veronica Offside, as per Voetbal Primeur.
'On the day that he decided to battle Cristiano Ronaldo. That's where he started losing all the respect.
'He thought it would work out well for him, but it's the opposite.
'Everyone in the dressing room wondered if he is alright in the head by doing that.'
Ronaldo was comfortable United's top goalscorer in 2021-22 with 24 but didn't suit the way Ten Hag wanted to play.
The Dutch coach is under serious pressure and could lose his job even if United beat Manchester City to win next month's FA Cup final.
New part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team are weighing up whether Ten Hag is the right man to take United forward.
Mail Sport reported on Monday that Ten Hag's former club Ajax are interested in taking him back.
However, sources insist Ten Hag and his coaching team would be reluctant to walk away from Old Trafford in order to facilitate a return to Amsterdam, meaning Ajax are reliant on him being sacked.
There is acknowledgment that if Ten Hag loses his job, he may prefer an opportunity at one of Europe's stronger leagues over returning to Holland.
Ajax are currently fifth in the Eredivisie, 35 points adrift of leaders PSV.
Last week, Sneijder slammed United winger Antony as 'embarrassing' after he goaded Coventry City players after his team scraped past the Championship side on penalties in the FA Cup semi-final.
'Antony should be absolutely embarrassed for what he did,' Sneijder told Ziggo Sport.
'He should have walked straight off the pitch instead of doing that. I hope Manchester United lose 5-0 in the final.'
Everblessed10
515
Sneijder you are spot on mate. ETH thinks he can just come and disrespect the legend like that and still have the respect of others.
YormGokah
402
Davichi
277
OK Sneijder, can you also tell us when the problem of Juventus began? It's funny how people come out to make claims without making proper analysis. United have been having issues since SAF left and it's not about one player or even the coaches. United need serious improvement in every aspect and I hope the new appointments done will help to stirr the club in the right direction.
Kunkunmaster
252
clowns 🤡 blamed him for quarrelling with Sancho but no one ever blames him for quarrelling with Ronaldo even when Ronaldo is a top player and 100 times bigger than Sancho..... MF hypocrites
nellomcfc
218
That's what happens to you when you don't appreciate Greatness, CR7 is 10 million times bigger than ETH
EZEUDO
201
Exactly, 💯 bro 👍, Sneijder Your on point
mrHenphila
172
everybody wants to talk about Man united, Ronaldo was a total flop and disease for man united. scoring 24 goals without the team achieving anything is total rubbish. all these Ronaldo crying boys should understand football is about the team not an individual glory. Ten hag deserve a big hand even if he get sack today, he has done a lot. 3 final in 2 Season with back to back fa cup final is achievement already.
ciuabimsyz
125
Well, Mr that is really not what happened. United became stable only after they ditched Cristiano. And Mr Sneijder, would you allow Cristiano to continue in the team after he publicly destroyed the team, the owners, the coach and the players in his infamous interview with Pierce Morgan? If Cristiano is right why all teams in Europe refuse to sign him including Madrid? So sending Cristiano out is the best decision the United board made at that time and that has nothing to do with what is currently happening at United. Be smart and honest!