Jadon Sancho’s feud with Erik Ten Hag continues

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho’s time at Old Trafford has been torrid, to say the least. The Red Devils had pursued Sancho for two years until his big move from Borussia Dortmund took place in the summer of 2021, but things haven’t worked out for him on the pitch. It seems things are not working off the pitch with manager Erik Ten Hag.

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This feud began earlier in the season when United visited Arsenal and lost 3-1, with Sancho not being part of the squad. Ten Hag was asked about the former Borussia Dortmund player’s absence in the press conference after the game and stated that he wasn’t part of the squad because he underperformed in training, with the player answering through a statement on social media, stating that the manager wasn’t speaking the truth.

This event took place right before the international break, and there were multiple reports from many different sources about what actually happened between Sancho and Ten Hag. While it is nearly impossible to determine which ones are true and which are just piling on for interactions, the common denominator is that the Englishman had arrived late regularly to training and his performances while doing said training sessions were not good.

It’s important to point out that Sancho and Ten Hag had originally a good relationship when the Dutchman became manager of the Red Devils in the summer of 2022. Sancho started well, scoring against Liverpool in the third game of the season, but started to lose prominence after United signed Antony, one of Ten Hag’s trusted players back in Ajax.

However, there were reports of the former Dortmund man struggling with mental health issues, and this was confirmed by Ten Hag last season, even going as far as giving him a three-month break to clear his mind and work on his issues. The manager also tried to accommodate him in different positions, with a brief stint in the number ten position last season and also as a false nine in the latest preseason.

Despite the efforts, Sancho has struggled even to have a streak of good form at Old Trafford, and it seems that Ten Hag has lost patience. The player refused to apologize to the manager during the meeting they had during the international break and was given independent training sessions away from the rest of the squad, which has only soured their relationship even further.

🚨 Ten Hag on Jadon Sancho situation: “I do not comment about unavailable players — again, I don’t comment”.

Man Utd coach then asked about Jadon deleting his Instagram account as step towards solution: “I don’t know, it’s up to him. I don’t comment about players not available”. pic.twitter.com/FEuElfYCSB

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 26, 2023

The player, at least as of this writing, can’t be a part of the side and it all seems to rely on him apologizing. There was also a recent leak of him playing videogames until three in the morning this weekend, which only caused more reactions online and a general dislike from the fans’ perspective, who were already frustrated with his performances on the pitch.

Right now, and based on reports that have come out, Sancho’s most likely conclusion with this situation is going to be him leaving on the January transfer window. Unless there is a miraculous makeup with Ten Hag, that seems to be the case moving forward.