Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag seems to be having no intention to bring winger Jadon Sancho back to the squad. Manchester United thrashed Crystal Palace 3-0 in the EFL Cup last night but Sancho was not part of the squad. Sancho has not been in action this month after stating on social media that he has “been a scapegoat for a long time.” Sancho’s statement was in response to Ten Hag’s claim that the English international was not named in the Manchester United squad for the match against Arsenal due to substandard performance in training.
Erik ten Hag was recently asked about Sancho’s chances of returning to the squad and the Dutchman responded, as per Goal, “I don’t know, it’s up to him. I don’t comment on players who are not available.”
A report published by Sky Sports claimed that the Professional Footballers’ Association even offered their support to Jadon Sancho. The report went on to suggest that many senior footballers at Manchester United have also attempted to solve the matter. Some players have sympathy for Sancho but no one feels that the winger should have shared the now-deleted post on social media platform on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair,” the 23-year-old had written on social media.
Amid the ongoing tussle with Erik ten Hag, Jadon Sancho deactivated his Instagram account yesterday. A Mirror report claimed that the Manchester United’s England triumvirate of Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are believed to have encouraged Sancho to apologise in a bid to end the feud with Ten Hag.
“Jadon’s team-mates have been telling him to back down and say sorry to the boss. They want him to apologise. They sympathise with him and the way he feels, but recognise a line was crossed with what he posted,” a source close to the players said, as per Mirror. It is highly unlikely, though, to have a resolution anytime soon until Sancho reaches out to Ten Hag to say sorry.
A report published by Bild suggested that Manchester United team management is planning to let Sancho go in the January transfer window in a cut-price deal. A return to the Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund is also being contemplated currently. Sancho has managed to make just three appearances in the Premier League so far. He has recorded 76 minutes on the field in the Premier League.
In their next fixture, Manchester United will be up against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday. The Red Devils are currently placed in ninth position in the Premier League standings with nine points from six games.