Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insisted his focus remains on his team “above everything else” with out-of-favour winger Jadon Sancho set to remain away from United’s first team set-up.
“It’s always about the team,” Ten Hag told the media ahead of United’s return to Premier League action on Saturday. “There are many different characters and you have to manage them.
“The team is always above anything else.”
Sancho was dropped for United’s game against Arsenal earlier this month, with Ten Hag indicating that the decision was made due to the 23-year-old underperforming in training.
The England international fired back following his team’s loss in that game, claiming in a since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) that he had long been made “a scapegoat”, and that there were “other reasons” for his exclusion.
On Thursday, with the matter yet to be resolved, the club released a statement revealing that Sancho would “remain on a personal training programme away from the first-team group, pending resolution of a squad discipline issue.”
As well as Sancho, United will also be without Antony, whose return to the club has been delayed amid allegations of domestic abuse made against him, ahead of their game against Brighton.
The in-form Seagulls have beaten United in each of the last three meetings between the clubs.
Lisandro Martinez is expected to be available though despite missing Argentina’s World Cup qualifying wins over Ecuador and Bolivia, while Victor Lindelof has also been passed fit.
Fellow centre-back Raphael Varane and summer signing Mason Mount are both reportedly “in a good place” and nearing respective returns.
On his team’s recent performances, Ten Hag said: “You can see we are progressing. We should have won [at Arsenal] but we didn’t. The players are back now and we are ready to fight Brighton.
“Sometimes you have setbacks with players being injured or unavailable for other reasons. Our squad is very good and the players available are motivated.”
United currently sit 11th in the Premier League table, with six points from their opening four games.
While Ten Hag notably steered clear of directly addressing the Sancho saga any further on Friday, the United boss alluded to one mission the club’s higher-ups had set following his appointment last year.
“Strict lines… is what the club asked me [to bring in] because there was no good culture before last season – so to set some good standards, that is what I did,” he said. “That is my job, to control the standards.
“It is never someone makes one mistake, it is a whole process before you come to a certain outcome.
“If staff, players or whoever, if there is a structure [and you] cross lines you have to be strong, absolutely.”
With oft-maligned United and England centre-back Harry Maguire once again facing criticism following an own-goal against Scotland on Tuesday, Ten Hag echoed the thoughts of the player’s national team manager, Gareth Southgate.
“I have said many times that it’s disrespectful – he doesn’t deserve it, he’s a great player and has given many great performances,” the United manager said. “He has to block this by continuing to give good performances.”
Ten Hag continued: “It’s unjustified. He has had a great career and has lots to come.”
Maguire was stripped of the Manchester United captaincy by Ten Hag earlier this summer.
The 30-year-old opted to stay at United and fight for his place despite interest from West Ham but has featured for only 23 minutes so far this season, coming off the bench during the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal before the international break.
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