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Erik ten Hag 'believes Jadon Sancho could still have future at Man United'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 09 September 2023

Ten Hag 'believes Sancho could still have future at Man Utd'

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag supposedly still believes that Jadon Sancho's Old Trafford career could be revived despite their recent public spat.

The Borussia Dortmund man has only been a bit-part player for the Dutchman since his arrival at the Theatre of Dreams and made three substitute appearances at the start of the campaign.

Sancho was then dropped from the squad entirely for Man United's recent visit to Arsenal, which ended in a 3-1 defeat for the Red Devils as Antony and Marcus Rashford started out wide.

Facundo Pellistri, Alejandro Garnacho and Hannibal Mejbri were all preferred over Sancho, whose absence raised several eyebrows given that he was not reported to be nursing an injury.

Ten Hag confirmed in his post-match press conference that Sancho was omitted from the squad due to poor performances in training, but the winger publicly challenged his manager's claims on social media.

Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho on February 1, 2023 © Reuters

In a statement, Sancho alleged that he had been made a "scapegoat" and claimed that his performances in practice were up to scratch, and his long-term future has now been called into serious question.

Ten Hag is believed to have been left disappointed with Sancho's reaction to being dropped, while it has also been reported that the rest of the squad are growing fed up with the Englishman's attitude.

An exile is not thought to be beyond the realm of possibility, but The Mirror reports that Ten Hag is happy to welcome Sancho back into the fold, so long as the attacker proves his worth.

The Dutchman has apparently been left dumbfounded with the way that their row has escalated, having expected Sancho to rise to the challenge after publicly admitting why he cut him from the squad.

Ten Hag supposedly feels that the whole situation has been "blown out of proportion", and he is hopeful that an amicable resolution can be reached to allow Sancho to work his way back into his good books.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag pictured on August 19, 2023 © Reuters

However, the former Ajax boss is also in no position to let his authority be called into question by members of his squad again, and he would have sanctioned Sancho's exit in the summer had a sufficient offer come in.

Sancho was supposedly offered to Chelsea as part of talks over a deal for left-back Marc Cucurella, but the Red Devils abandoned their pursuit of the Spaniard to bring in Sergio Reguilon on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

Al Ettifaq head coach Steven Gerrard also showed an interest in bringing Sancho to Saudi Arabia on loan, but the club reportedly refused to agree to a £50m obligation to make his stay permanent in 2024.

Sancho has managed 12 goals and six assists in 82 games for Man United since 2021, and he still has just under three years left to run on his contract.

As well as the Sancho controversy, fellow winger Antony has been accused of domestic abuse by multiple women, but the Brazilian denies the allegations and has affirmed that he is not worried about his future with Man United.