Erik ten Hag 'believes Jadon Sancho is disruptive influence'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 09 October 2023

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag reportedly labels Jadon Sancho a "disruptive influence" on the rest of the squad amid his standoff with the Englishman.

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has allegedly told the club's hierarchy that Jadon Sancho is a "disruptive influence" as the Red Devils try to sever ties with the Englishman in January.

Ever since publicly questioning Ten Hag's decision to leave him out of the squad for September's defeat to Arsenal, Sancho has been banished from first-team duties by the Dutchman.

Ten Hag told the media that Sancho did not make the trip to the Emirates - where Man United lost 3-1 - due to lacklustre performances in training, a version of events that the winger challenged.

Instead, Sancho vented his frustrations in a strongly-worded social media statement - which has since been deleted - claiming that he had been made a "scapegoat" amid his long-term struggles at Old Trafford.

As well as being exiled from the first-team squad, Sancho is supposedly not allowed access to Carrington facilities and must eat his meals with the club's youth players until he apologises privately to Ten Hag and publicly.

Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho on July 22, 2023 © Reuters

However, neither Sancho nor Ten Hag appear to be backing down, as the Englishman was again absent for the weekend's win over Brentford, and there is no end to the saga in sight for the time being.

According to the Daily Mail, Ten Hag has now labelled Sancho a bad influence on the rest of the squad, and his gripes with the 23-year-old are not just limited to perceived poor training displays and alleged lateness.

Ten Hag has apparently seen a greater sense of team spirit among his players since Sancho was ostracised from the group, and he believes that the ex-Borussia Dortmund man was negatively impacting his teammates' attitude.

As such, the Red Devils will fight tooth and nail to cut Sancho from the ranks during the January transfer window, and a return to Dortmund has inevitably been mooted for the attacker.

However, BVB are said to harbour similar concerns about Sancho's timekeeping and off-field activities, and Italian giants Juventus could therefore be the only realistic destination for a winter loan move.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag pictured on September 26, 2023 © Reuters

The Bianconeri are said to be open to taking Sancho for the rest of the campaign, and Man United will happily fork out a portion of his £300,000-a-week wages while he plies his trade elsewhere.

While Man United are also keen to get Sancho off the books permanently, they are believed to be holding out for a £60m fee, which neither Dortmund nor Juventus would be willing to pay given the England international's recent lack of minutes.

Nevertheless, the Red Devils are hopeful that a loan move for the second half of the campaign would help to protect Sancho's value, as they seek to recoup a sizeable portion of the £73m they paid Dortmund for his services two years ago.

Since returning to his homeland, the former Manchester City product has represented Man United on 82 occasions in all competitions, but he has only come up with 12 goals and six assists in that time.

Sancho took a lengthy break from football last season to recover from a combination of physical and mental health problems, and he made three substitute appearances in the 2023-24 season before his banishment.