Manchester United’s current situation of misery is a far cry from the club’s glory days. In the past few days, the club has been plagued by various controversies which have affected their performance on the soccer pitch. The recent controversy surrounding Jadon Sancho’s banishment due to Erik ten Hag’s decision which has been a source of debate among fans and pundits around the globe, has now raised sparks among United players.
Sancho was not included in United’s squad for their game against Arsenal on September 3, 2023. Later, Erik ten Hag explained that Sancho was not picked due to his performances in training, stating that players have to reach a level every day at Manchester United. “You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line,” said ten Hag.
🚨🚨| BREAKING: Jadon Sancho releases a statement regarding comments today made about him. pic.twitter.com/qtOeTXbsgL
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 3, 2023
Reacting to this Sancho replied with a now-deleted tweet in which he said he was being made a ‘scapegoat’. He publically went against ten Hag’s comments resulting in a banishment from the first team. It is reported that several clubs are showing interest in him and United are set to sell the English Forward even at a price much lower than the $93 million price tag at which he was brought.
🚨 | A group of #mufc‘s first-team players disagree with Erik ten Hag’s decision to banish Jadon Sancho from the squad. [@talkSPORT]
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) September 22, 2023
Amid Sancho’s situation, a report from the Manchester Evening News claims that some United players are beginning to ‘grow weary’ of ten Hag’s criticism. Erik’s tactics are also being questioned as they are not getting the desired results out of the games. Some are speculating that the absence of Antony at the right flank may have forced him to alter his strategy. That’s why United has been facing the downside of it.
Jadon Sancho refuses to publicly apologize to Erik ten Hag
Even after deleting his comments on Erik ten Hag, Sancho has refused to apologize to the Dutch manager. It was reported that the Manchester United board has been pushing Sancho to make an apology to ten Hag privately and through a social media post. But the Englishman’s reaction has been a firm negation.
🚨🚨| Jadon Sancho refused to apologise to Ten Hag after being asked to.
[@lauriewhitwell] pic.twitter.com/suMhjaIW8f
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 14, 2023
Following Jadon Sancho’s this kind of reaction, Erik ten Hag denied Sancho’s return to the first team. He has released a statement saying, “Jadon Sancho will NOT be in our squad tomorrow”. He has further clarified that his return depends only upon him, hinting at a demand for an apology from him.
🚨🔴 Erik ten Hag: “Jadon Sancho will NOT be in our squad tomorrow”.
“It depends on him. For the rest, we are preparing for Burnley and that’s our focus”. pic.twitter.com/6yFLyIqhN3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 22, 2023
Manchester United are off to a horrible start this season. Currently, they are placed in the 13th position in the Premier League table, with six points after five games. In their Champions League fixture, they lost to Bayern Munich 4-3 at the Allianz Arena.