Inside Jadon Sancho's Man Utd troubles as war of words erupts with Erik ten Hag
Jadon Sancho’s time at Manchester United has involved more troughs than peaks – and things have come to a head after the latest bust up with Erik ten Hag.
There have been 773 days since Sancho joined United in a £73million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in July 2021. Back then his move was surrounded by a widespread feeling of excitement, and with good reason.
The England winger arrived at Old Trafford after contributing 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games for Dortmund. He was 21 years old and undeniably one of the hottest prospects in world football.
It’s fair to say that things have not gone to plan at United. He has just 12 goals and six assists in 82 games for the club and has never enjoyed a consistent run of form, with injuries, a lack of confidence and other factors limiting his impact.
Things have deteriorated to such an extent that he was left out of the squad for United’s game against Arsenal on Sunday. Explaining the decision, Ten Hag said: "Jadon, on his performance in training, was not selected. You have to reach a level at Manchester United every day and we can make choices in the front line. So for this game he was not selected."
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That damning review was followed by a statement on social media from Sancho, who wholeheartedly rejected his manager’s assessment of his professionalism. "Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue,” he wrote.
Jadon Sancho has endured many lows in his Manchester United career (2023 AMA Sports Photo Agency)"I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into, I have been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair! All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team.
"I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!"
There is still plenty of time for Sancho to resurrect his United career – he still has three years left on his contract after all – but unfortunately for him, there are more negative examples than positive in his time at the club so far.
Sluggish start
Jadon Sancho arrived with much hype behind him (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)Sancho was signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was extremely excited by his potential. “His goals and assists records speak for themselves and he will also bring tremendous pace, flair and creativity to the team,” the Norwegian said. “Old Trafford will give him the platform he needs to release his untapped talent and perform at the highest level.”
Sancho was supposed to be the headline attraction that summer. And he was, until a certain Cristiano Ronaldo touched down on deadline day to steal his thunder. It got worse too. Sancho arrived fully fit yet became ill and subsequently didn't complete a full 90 minutes until November. Having trumpeted his arrival, Solskjaer ended up on the defensive almost straight away.
"He's 21, he's learning the game, he's learning how we train, he's learning how we play, he's learning the Premier League, but he's come in hungry to learn,” he said in September 2021.
"We knew his talent, and we signed him with the thought that we are going to have a top forward here for the next 10 or 12 years. Jadon's finding his feet, it's unfortunate that he fell ill just when he was going to come in, so he was out, and he lost a bit of pre-season. But he is working hard and he will be good."
By the time his first goal arrived in a 2-0 win over Villarreal on November 23, Solskjaer was not there to see it, having been sacked the day before.
Like most United players, the arrival of Ralf Rangnick did not inspire improved form for Sancho. He got more game time but ended his debut campaign with just five goals and three assists in all competitions.
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Confidence dipping
Jadon Sancho has struggled for consistency at United ((Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images))Ten Hag has been unable to change the direction of Sancho’s United career. While there have been high points – the opening goal in a 2-1 win over Liverpool in August 2022, a winner at Leicester – there have been more underwhelming and disappointing displays.
One of the lowest points came in Cyprus in October, when Sancho was taken off at half-time with United trailing 1-0 to Omonia Nicosia. Things were made worse when his replacement, Marcus Rashford, scored twice and assisted the other goal in a 3-2 win.
Former United midfielder Paul Scholes did not hold back in his punditry role for BT Sport. “Sancho never really runs in behind,” he said. “He needs a fast left-back really or a centre forward to link up with and he hasn't really got that at the moment.”
Later that month, Rio Ferdinand gave a similar assessment of Sancho’s deficiencies. “The confidence and the swagger when he walked through the doors at Old Trafford isn’t there right now,” he said on Vibe with Five. “He’s just coming back out and playing back and recycling the ball. This isn’t you man.
“I don’t know what it is and Antony has been the same in some games. A lot of the times he comes back, doesn’t go on the outside or cross the ball. He’s exciting but he’s still passing the ball back a lot.
“With Sancho I just feel that it’s in there and what I will give him credit for is his defensive work. His shape has been good but it’s the other side of the game that’s missing and that’s why we bought him. We didn’t buy him to be a defender, we bought him to destroy teams. I want to see more from him and Antony in that area.”
Benched then dropped
Erik ten Hag has taken a firm stance on Jadon Sancho (Greig Cowie/REX/Shutterstock)After missing out on selection for the World Cup, Sancho was put on an “individual programme” by Ten Hag in December. That came after the Dutchman said he had been struggling both "physically and mentally" in the early stages of the 2022/23 season.
He has recovered since, but the emergence of Alejandro Garnacho, Ten Hag’s backing of Antony and Rashford’s clear preference to play on the left of attack has hindered Sancho’s development.
Sancho appeared off the bench in each of United’s first three Premier League matches, before being dropped from the squad for the trip to the Emirates. It remains to be seen if he can come back from the falling out with his manager, but Ferdinand has given a bleak prognosis.
“There's two ways this ends,” he said on his YouTube channel. “There's only one window open now and that's Saudi. Or you're on the bench or not getting in the squad for the rest of the season."
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