Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag refuses to comment about the Jadon Sancho situation, discusses loss against Arsenal instead
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has evaded questions regarding Jadon Sancho following a breakdown in their relationship in recent days.
When asked about the ostracized winger's situation at the club during a press conference, the tactician instead decided to discuss the Red Devils' 3-1 defeat to Arsenal the last time out.
Recall that Jadon Sancho was dropped from the Manchester United squad that faced Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on September 3. Commenting on the attacker's omission, Erik ten Hag claimed that the player was dropped because of his poor performance levels in training.
That didn't sit well with former Borussia Dortmund attacker, who hit back in a social media post, claiming that the tactician's comments were totally not true and that he was been sidelined for a different reason. This angered the club, who released a statement confirming that the attacker will be punished by being separated from the rest of the squad in training due to discipline issue. The statement, on the club's official website, read:
"Jadon Sancho will remain on a personal training programme away from the first-team group pending resolution of a squad discipline issue."
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag appeared before the press once again ahead of this weekend's clash with Brighton & Hove Albion. The tactician, however, refused to discuss the Jadon Sancho subject when it was thrown at him and opted to analyze his side's loss to Arsenal in their last game.
He said (as per the Manchester Evening News):
"We close the game, we work on the feedback, the data team feedback, we played very well very Arsenal, we trained very well, we played very well, we deserved much more in Arsenal, it was not on our side, that was the outcome of our analysis.
But you see we are progressing against a good Arsenal but minimum we had to get a draw there and I think we should have won there. We didn't but we take the performance, in the last two days the players came back, they trained very well and we are ready to fight Brighton with a lot of energy."
Sancho has made 82 appearances for the Red Devils till date, scoring 12 goals and giving six assists.
Jadon Sancho training alone at Manchester United's training amid Erik ten Hag rift
According to Daily Mail, Jadon Sancho arrived at Manchester United's training ground at Carrington on Friday, 15 September with his face hidden after being banished from first-team practice by Erik ten Hag.
Images revealed the winger landing at the premises before 9 AM, lifting his chin and lowering his mirror in an attempt to hide the rest of his face. The 23-year-old has refused to apologize to his manager following his controversial post, which has been deemed as being against squad discipline by the Red Devils. This may also be the reason for the club making him train alone.
Sancho is not expected to be considered for selection when Manchester United take on Brighton in the English top flight this weekend. It remains to be seen how things will develop in the coming days.