Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly wants Jadon Sancho to apologise for his social media outburst before allowing the winger to return to first-team training.
Ten Hag opted to leave Sancho out of the Red Devils’ matchday squad for the defeat at Arsenal before the international break due to the 23-year-old’s poor performances in training.
Following Ten Hag’s public explanation about Sancho’s absence, the winger took to social media to criticise the United boss, claiming that he had been made “a scapegoat for a long time” and that the Dutchman’s claims were “completely untrue”.
Sancho, who deleted his social media post on Tuesday, was strongly linked with a surprise loan move to Saudi Arabia in the final few days of the transfer window, but he ultimately stayed put at Old Trafford and allegedly held ‘clear-the-air talks’ with Ten Hag during the international break.
Man United have since released a brief statement on their official website announcing that Sancho “will remain on a personal training programme away from the first-team group, pending resolution of a squad discipline issue”.
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According to Sky Sports News, Ten Hag is waiting for Sancho to apologise to him and the club for his actions before allowing the winger to re-join the first-team group in training.
The report adds that the Red Devils boss is not prepared to back down and will not allow his authority at the club to be challenged.
A separate report from The Athletic claims that Sancho has been banished from senior training after refusing to apologise to Ten Hag and he will not be considered for selection, starting with Saturday’s Premier League home match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Man United football director John Murtough and CEO Richard Arnold are allegedly working behind the scenes in an attempt to de-escalate the situation between the player and the manager.
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Sancho spent a period of time away from Man United towards the end of last season due to personal reasons and is now set for another extended absence until a resolution is reached.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger has failed to reach the heights expected at Old Trafford since joining the club for around £75m in the summer of 2021, scoring just 12 goals and providing six assists in 82 appearances across all competitions.
Despite making a positive impression in pre-season, Sancho has made only three substitute appearances in the Premier League this season before being dropped from the squad that lost Arsenal.
Sancho is the second Red Devils player within the space of just five days to have become unavailable for selection after Antony, who will not represent the club ‘until further notice’ amid allegations of assault made against him.
