Ten Hag, Sancho told who’s to blame in Man Utd debacle, as new Prem transfer link surfaces
Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag and winger Jadon Sancho
A former Manchester United star has revealed where the blame lays in the Jadon Sancho, Erik ten Hag saga, while a January exit to a Premier League rival is being touted.
The end is in sight regarding the war of words between Sancho and Ten Hag. Man Utd released an official statement on Thursday stating their floundering winger will train away from his teammates while the matter is internally resolved.
“Jadon Sancho will remain on a personal training programme away from the first-team group, pending resolution of a squad discipline issue,” read the statement.
The recent issue between player and manager initially stemmed from Ten Hag’s comments in the aftermath of the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.
The Dutchman suggested Sancho’s levels in training did not warrant a place on the substitutes bench. Sancho fired back on social media, claiming he was being scapegoated by his manager. Sancho has since deleted the fiery response from his social media channels.
Now, in quotes carried by the Mirror, former United midfielder, Gordon Strachan, believes both Ten Hag and Sancho must shoulder the blame for how the situation has unfolded.
Strachan suggested Sancho must look inward and question whether he is truly meeting the standards Man Utd demand. However, the Scot – who played for United between 1984-89 – also claimed Ten Hag will regret his initial public outburst.
Ten Hag should’ve told Sancho face-to-face – Strachan
“First of all, I think that Jadon Sancho needs to understand that Erik ten Hag hasn’t sat down and started talking about the player of his own accord,” said Strachan. “He’s simply answering a question from a reporter.
“Players always want the truth from their manager. In this instance, Erik ten Hag has answered the question honestly and the player hasn’t liked his response, but Jadon needs to learn to handle the truth.
“I think, in hindsight, Ten Hag will look back and regret saying what he did through the media and it would have been more effective telling him face-to-face to avoid what we’ve got now.
“However, Jadon needs to look at himself and figure out what he’s doing wrong, rather than feeling as though he’s being attacked. Of course, we don’t know the whole story, but that’s how I see it from the outside.
“The first thing I would say to a player is ‘have a look at yourself’. Look at yourself before anybody else, it’s as simple as that. Go and look at your games and tell me if that’s as good as you think you can be.
“If it is, then you can’t play here because the standard is far bigger at Man Utd than anywhere else. If I was that young man, I would have a look at myself and apologise to the manager.”
In-Prem exit possible?
In the event Sancho and Ten Hag’s relationship is irreparable, there’s expected to be no shortage of suitors for a player who was rated among the world’s best during his time at Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund have been heavily linked with re-signing the England international, though according to transfer insider Dean Jones, a move within the Premier League could take shape.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said touted a move to Villa Park after dismissing interest from Tottenham.
“It doesn’t feel like the sort of one that Tottenham are going to be looking for in the January window, from what I can tell at this stage, so I wouldn’t necessarily expect them to need to come back in for Jadon Sancho in a moment like that unless an easy loan or a really cheap deal opened up,” said Jones.
“Aston Villa, I’d say, is probably a bit more reasonable. We know that they’re going to be on the lookout again, for a player of that type, so I’d say that’s very plausible.
“But the big question for Jadon Sancho will be whether he even has a future within the Premier League or he needs to go back abroad again. I think that’s going to be the first thing that he has to address.”
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