Erik ten Hag fires dig at Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho after Man Utd fallouts

Erik ten Hag has fired a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho after fall-outs with the trio during his time at Manchester United.

Ten Hag was sacked by United in October after a poor start to the season, with a defeat to West Ham proving to be his final game in charge of the Red Devils.

The Dutchman took charge of 128 United games, winning 70, drawing 23 and losing 35 to end up with a 55% win ratio.

He won both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his tenure but poor performance in the league, coupled with a much-maligned style of play, led to Ten Hag being given the boot.

Ten Hag was no stranger to confrontation at Old Trafford and had well-publicised issues with Ronaldo, Rashford and Sancho - the latter being ostracised from the first-team environment after publishing a social media statement denying the former Ajax boss' claims about his effort in training in a post-Arsenal press conference.

In his first major interview since his sacking, Ten Hag has explained how different players are these days and how they are offended by direct communication.

Erik ten Hag had 128 games in charge of Manchester United. Image: Getty

"The generation that I grew up in had much thicker skin," he said on SEG Stories, as per the BBC.

"You could be much more direct. I was approached much more directly.

"If I would do that with my current group of players I would demotivate them. If you do that to the current generation they find it offensive."

Ten Hag reveals when he will return to work

Ten Hag has been linked with a number of vacancies since being sacked by United, who have continued to struggle under successor Ruben Amorim and lie in 15th place in the Premier League.

However, the 55-year-old has stated that he will continue to enjoy a break from management until July rolls around as he is not interested in a return to management during the season.

Ten Hag said: "I’ve already decided not to take any job until the 1st of July, so until the start of the new season."

Ten Hag also issued a warning of sorts to Amorim, pointing out that incredibly high standards expected at a club which has won 13 Premier League titles.

"We’ve had many highs at Man United, but as I always say: there is always room for improvement," Ten Hag explained.

"Good is not good enough."