Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has dismissed Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent criticism of his comments regarding Red Devils’ chances of winning the Premier League.

Ronaldo, speaking on a podcast with his former United teammate Rio Ferdinand, criticised Ten Hag’s pre-season comments where the manager stated that United was “a long way away” from winning the Premier League for the first time since 2013. Although Ronaldo agreed that his old club may not be ready to win the league, he argued that Ten Hag, as the manager, should not have sent such a message.

When asked about Ronaldo’s remarks ahead of Man United’s trip to Southampton, Ten Hag clarified that Ronaldo had essentially agreed with him. “No, he said this, if you read the article very well,” Ten Hag responded. “He is entitled to his opinion. It’s OK. He is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester.”

Following consecutive defeats by Brighton and Liverpool, United faces Southampton knowing that another loss would mark their worst start since the 1986-87 season when Ron Atkinson was replaced by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ten Hag provided updates on his squad, confirming that full-back Luke Shaw, who has yet to play for United this season despite making three appearances for England at Euro 2024, remains unavailable.

Striker Rasmus Hojlund will also miss the game as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered during the summer tour in the United States. On a positive note, new signing Manuel Ugarte is fit, though the £50.2 million Uruguay midfielder only returned from international duty on Thursday.

In the wake of the Liverpool defeat and a two-week break, Ten Hag’s future has become a hot topic of debate, with many speculating that the 54-year-old might not last the season, especially as co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe begins to assert his influence. Despite the uncertainty, Ten Hag, who recently returned to manage his former club FC Utrecht in a charity match, remains focused and unfazed by the speculation.

“It doesn’t impact me,” Ten Hag said. “I know where we are in the process what we have to do and where we are going. I have said before that we are still in a transition period. We have to integrate a lot of young players into the team and still have to deal with injuries and bring players back into the team.”

He added, “Before anyone thinks about excuses, no, we have to win every game. I know that. The team knows that. It doesn’t matter who is available.”