"He will never play for this club" - Ben Foster explains how Sir Alex Ferguson would have reacted to 'disrespectful' Jadon Sancho at Manchester United
Ben Foster has slammed Jadon Sancho for his 'disrespectful' response to Erik ten Hag by claiming former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't have stood for it.
A storm has hit Old Trafford due to a back-and-forth between Ten Hag and Sancho. The English winger wasn't selected by his manager in the matchday squad of the Red Devils' 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday (September 3).
Ten Hag explained that this was down to the 23-year-old's unconvincing training performances. However, the former Borussia Dortmund attacker quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to hit back at those claims. He stated:
"Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, 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've been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair!"
Foster reckons Sancho's time as a Manchester United player would be over if this situation arose under former Red Devils boss Ferguson. The legendary Scot dealt with many cases similar to this during his tenure that ultimately led to the likes of Roy Keane and David Beckham leaving. He told The United Stand:
"It's crazy. If Sir Alex Ferguson is manager at this moment in time and Jadon Sancho does this he will never see the light of day for Man United. He will never play for this club, he will never be allowed in the training ground, you're done mate see you later."
Foster was asked about former players who have backed the Englishman's actions in several media outlets. The former United goalkeeper understands that many may take that stance but has branded Sancho's comments as disrespectful:
"I understand when (former) players say I would do the same thing, but it's not going to help you. It's petulant, it's reactive, it's emotional, it's disrespectful. It becomes a massive storm of news."
Foster alluded to questions that are being asked concerning both the player and the manager:
"Now everybody wants to know what's up with Jadon Sancho, wants up with Ten Hag. Has Ten Hag lost the dressing room? What were Sancho's training sessions like this week?"
The English attacker has endured a difficult spell at Manchester United since arriving from Dortmund in 2021. He has 12 goals and provided six assists in 82 games across competitions. He has only appeared from the substitutes bench this season, being handed just 76 minutes worth of game time.
Sancho is risking following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United exit
A similar situation unfolded between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ten Hag last season when the pair fell out. The iconic forward was aggrieved with the bit-part role he was being handed by the Manchester United manager.
Ronaldo started just 10 of 16 games across competitions, scoring three goals and providing two assists. His place at Old Trafford became untenable when he gave an explosive interview claiming to have felt disrespected by Ten Hag.
The Portuguese great refused to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur. He stormed down the tunnel before the final whistle and was subsequently suspended for one game.
Cristiano Ronaldo apologized but the writing was on the wall. His interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan led to a mutual termination of his contract.
Manchester United may not be so hasty as to allow Sancho to leave in such a way. The English winger has three years left on his contract with the Red Devils. They will be reluctant to release a player who cost them £73 million from Dortmund and could bring in a good fee.