Jadon Sancho believes he is within his rights to voice his disapproval at Erik ten Hag’s questioning of his commitment in training, sources close to the player have told i, with the England international feeling like he was singled-out while others received “preferential treatment”.
The Manchester United winger believes that if he were simply to apologise now and admit the manager was right, it would undermine going public with his views and invite similar treatment in the future, insiders said.
However, with the player training alone since 14 September and eating with academy players at the training ground, some in the forward’s entourage have concerns. Especially after Ten Hag doubled down on his belief that the ball is in Sancho’s court after United’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
“He is a great player, that doesn’t go away, so he will have offers in January if we are where we are now – with first-team football at United a distant dream,” an insider said.
“But clubs need to see something that would encourage them to bring him to their club. Talent alone won’t get him a move to another top team.
“We are aware of how this all looks for him, and the longer United leave him in the cold, the lower his appeal drops.”
Concerns over Sancho’s timekeeping and overall attitude are nothing new. Sancho himself admitted he had trouble with timekeeping when turning up late for Borussia Dortmund training in 2019 and was fined by the club a year later for returning from England duty late.
Reports also claim timekeeping has been a problem for Sancho when on England duty. He has not been called up by Gareth Southgate for any squad since 2021.
i understands one particular problem with Sancho is around sleep, or lack thereof, caused partly by playing computer games at night – something several of his clubs have noticed.
United have stood by Ten Hag over his forthright stance on the player’s attitude, with club sources insisting the Dutchman has the backing of director of football John Murtough and CEO Richard Arnold.
Despite Brazilian forward Antony remaining unavailable even though he is back in the UK to answer allegations of assault, other options have presented themselves to Ten Hag, with young Uruguayan Facundo Pellistri finally given his first-team chance and Alejandro Garnacho’s stock growing by the week.
Alternatives give Ten Hag further cause to stick to his guns on Sancho. Ill-discipline at United has been endemic in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era, with the club impressed how the Dutchman dealt with Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit.
Senior players in the squad have done all they can to persuade Sancho to knock on his manager’s door. The feeling among team-mates is one of “bewilderment”, given how reconcilable they feel this whole thing is.
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has also offered to mediate any dialogue between parties, i understands. They do not want a player who spent a period away from the club last season for “physical and mental health” reasons to be left to fight any battle alone.
There remains the underlying feeling, though, that the relationship between Sancho and Ten Hag cannot be repaired. Last season, other than Sancho’s period of absence, which the player remains grateful for, the 23-year-old could not command a regular first-team spot or even work out what his best position was.
The breakthrough came in pre-season when Sancho excelled in a No 10 role, one Ten Hag has openly suggested plays to Sancho’s strengths.
Ahead of the trip to Arsenal earlier this month, Sancho had not started a single game, while others were given that “preferential treatment”. The social media fallout since leaves us at the current impasse.
And the longer it goes on, the more everyone loses out.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/ouramGl
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