Manchester United
Premier League • England
Jadon Sancho: Gary Pallister reveals big mistake made in Ten Hag spat and what could be behind winger’s Man Utd woes
Gary Pallister wants Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag to resolve their differences and feels the problem should have been kept behind closed doors at the club.
Sancho, 23, has not played for the club since the 3-2 Premier League triumph over Nottingham Forest on August 26. The Londoner had made substitute appearances in the Red Devils opening three games, enjoying a total of 76 minutes. But he was then left out of the squad after the Dutch tactician said his performances in training had not been good enough.
The winger hit back, suggesting he was being made a ‘scapegoat’ at Old Trafford.
Unsurprisingly, the manager did not take too kindly to those comments. He ordered Sancho to train away from the main group of players.
And a club statement revealed the decision was made ‘pending resolution of a squad discipline issue.’
Pallister knows a thing or two about United, having made 317 top-flight appearances for the north-west giants.
And the former England defender feels any issues between manager and players should not be aired in public.
“The war of words we would have had would probably be behind closed doors (when I was a player) and wasn’t there in public,” he told 888sport.
“Erik felt he needed to go public with the reasons why he left Sancho out and I think that’s probably a reaction from Jadon to come back fighting.
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“It has been a difficult period for the club. Ten Hag has come in, he’s been very disciplined by the looks of it, behind the scenes.
“We’ve heard of different occasions when he’s come down hard on players.”
Sancho still with much to prove at United
Sancho arrived at Old Trafford to much fanfare after they paid Borussia Dortmund around £74m for his services.
The England international had been a star in the Bundesliga, scoring 38 goals from 104 appearances for Dortmund.
He also enjoyed 21 Champions League outings for BVB, scoring on five occasions.
But it has just not happened at Manchester United, with only 12 goals from 82 appearances.
And Pallister is eager to see the youngster given an opportunity to demonstrate the skills he showed in Germany.
“We want to see a Jadon Sancho as the player that he was at Dortmund because he looked like an exceptional talent,” he added.
“We’ve seen it in bits and starts here at United but not enough. He’s still got a lot to prove in a United shirt I would think.”
And the 58-year-old feels there may be more to it than just a lack of form on the pitch.
“It’s not always just centred around football, you never know what’s going on in a player’s mind, what’s going on in his background, his family life, or anything like that, it’s an understanding of everything,” he continued.
“I was really excited when we brought him in from Dortmund two years ago.
“I know that the Bundesliga is a little bit different from the Premier League, but he was not just doing it there, he was doing it in the Champions League as well – scoring goals, creating havoc.
“And we haven’t, unfortunately, seen that level of consistency from him at United.”
Reports in Spanish outlet Sport over the weekend suggested Barcelona might look to sign him on loan in January.
But he and Ten Hag may have sorted things out before the window reopens early next year.
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