Ten Hag knew PRECISELY what he was doing with Sancho callout
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 6 Sept 2023 09:09 BST
- 5 min read
Jadon Sancho has some stuff going on in the background. That much is clear. It could be a case of a player being lazy and refusing to put in what his coach demands on him, but it’s more than likely that there are some other bits going on that we’re not privy to. Maybe the club and Erik ten Hag know about it, or maybe not.
Ten Hag, just like every football manager, has every right to call out players for underperforming, but let’s not pretend that he did not know the possible fallout of saying those words to reporters on Sunday evening.
He was asked about Sancho's absence after his side’s defeat to Arsenal - a harrowing blow with Declan Rice scoring in the dying embers.
READ MORE: Antony IN, big-money signing OUT: Man Utd announce Champions League squad
"On his performance on training, we didn't select him. You have to reach the level every day at Manchester United. You can make choices in the front line, so in this game, he wasn't selected," the former Ajax boss said.
Even if Sancho was sluggish in training this week, as is quite normal for players, Ten Hag has been around long enough to know that his words would catch like wildfire and create further speculation and questions going forward. And we all know the Sancho-Ten Hag issue has been around for over a year now. This is nothing new, it just rumbled on in the background - but now a spotlight is firmly on it and subsequent press conferences will be firmly on it.
READ MORE: Revealed: Why Chelsea DIDN'T sign Man Utd's Sancho this summer
Ten Hag knew what he was doing
Some have claimed that his words were a mere honest response to a question from a reporter. But seldom do managers speak the truth if it does not benefit either them, the club, or both. It’s precisely why Ten Hag said David de Gea had a future at Manchester United, before being shipped on in the summer window. ‘Illness’ is the go-to response for coaches’ when asked when a player is absent, just like Scott McTominay at the weekend. But Ten Hag removed such protection from Sancho.
As soon he mentioned the 23-year-old and his poor form in training, aggregators were amok with the ‘BREAKING’ news. It might have been the splash on the papers the next day, had Sancho not retorted with his own damning statement.
"Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, 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!”
Sancho seems to suggest there is something more personal at play between himself and Ten Hag, though he refuses to say what. There have been reports of his constant lateness, which could be the primary reason. But rarely in issues such as this is there such a basic cause; the public will unlikely ever know the empirical truth about what's happening until years down the line.
One thing is for certain: Ten Hag spoke quite deliberately on the matter - whether that was a call to arms for Sancho, similar to how Jose Mourinho used to berate Luke Shaw, or an indication that he wants the Englishman off his books - it’s not clear yet.
This is a thing now. The coach has made it one, rightly or wrongly, and now every time that Sancho is left out of the squad, Ten Hag will have to keep commenting on his displays in training. The club will be desperate to ensure his form from his time at Borussia Dortmund is relived, especially even the huge money they spent on the winger. But that seems like an impossible scenario at this stage.
The future of Antony following the domestic abuse accusations made towards him will also play a factor.
This feels like either Sancho’s absolute final chance, or maybe that’s been and gone now. In either case, his future at Old Trafford looks as bleak as it’s ever done.
