Title: Erik ten Hag Stands Firm in Jadon Sancho Dispute, Further Straining Relationship with Manchester United
Date: September 4, 2023
In a public fallout that has sent shockwaves through Manchester United, manager Erik ten Hag’s contentious remarks concerning Jadon Sancho’s absence from the squad have escalated tensions at the club. Despite the forward’s vehement response, sources have revealed that ten Hag is steadfast in his stance, emphasizing that Sancho was not selected for the recent defeat against Arsenal due to his underwhelming training performances.
Sancho, who arrived at Old Trafford in a high-profile £73 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, was left out of the squad for the 3-1 loss against Arsenal on Sunday, prompting ten Hag to disclose that the decision was based on the player’s poor form during training. However, Sancho swiftly refuted his manager’s claims, declaring them “completely untrue” through a statement posted on undisclosed platform X.
Insisting that he had conducted himself professionally and performed well during training, Sancho shed light on underlying reasons for his omission, suggesting that he has been unfairly singled out as a scapegoat for an extended period of time. The 23-year-old winger’s public rebuttal has intensified the already strained relationship between the player and ten Hag.
Sources have confirmed that ten Hag was made aware of Sancho’s response during the team’s journey back to Manchester from London on Sunday evening. However, rather than issuing a clarification, the manager intends to stand by his original comments, maintaining that Sancho did not deserve a spot in the squad due to his subpar training displays.
Sancho’s discordant social media posts may potentially land him in disciplinary trouble with the club. Notably, ten Hag has exhibited a zero-tolerance policy towards perceived indiscipline in the past. Cristiano Ronaldo had his contract canceled by mutual consent and subsequently joined Al Nassr after expressing a lack of respect for ten Hag in a November 2022 interview. Similarly, Marcus Rashford found himself dropped to the bench for a match against Wolves in December following an instance of tardiness to a team meeting.
Adding to the tumultuous atmosphere at Old Trafford, Manchester United is reportedly seeking opportunities to offload Eric Bailly and Donny van de Beek during the extended transfer windows in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Both players have fallen out of favor within the squad and remained at the club after the European transfer window closed on Friday.
Bailly, who was excluded from the summer tour of the United States and has been training with the reserves, is among the players United hopes to offload to trim their roster and salary bill.
As tensions continue to escalate between Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho, Manchester United finds itself grappling with yet another internal dispute that threatens to disrupt team cohesion and stability moving forward.