“We know his talent” - Jose Mourinho’s old comments on Ten Hag's row with Jadon Sancho resurface ahead of Manchester United-Fenerbahce clash
Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag will faceoff when Fenerbahce take on Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday, October 24. Ahead of the match, Mourinho's comments on the Jadon Sancho-Ten Hag issue have resurfaced. The former Red Devils boss claimed that Ten Hag did not handle the situation well but acknowledged the player was also at fault.
Speaking to Laura Woods and Rio Ferdinand earlier this year, Mourinho mentioned Sancho is a talented player and needed guidance. He believed the Chelsea loanee was a kid and shouldn't have reacted on social media.
"As a player, we know his talent. We saw what he could do, there are no doubts about it. What happened at Man United? If I look at my own history, I see that sometimes I failed with players. Sometimes, I couldn't create the right empathy."
"I couldn't understand the player's DNA, and I couldn't help players grow up in the right direction. The majority of times, yes, I did it, but on some occasions, I couldn't. I think sometimes we have to learn with experiences, which I tried always to do, to try to understand the nature of the player. Sometimes they have the talent but don't have the mindset you want from a player. For sure, the kid [Sancho] made mistakes, that's for sure, but for sure his manager was not able to get the best out of him," he added.
Sancho was loaned out to Borussia Dortmund for the second half of the 2023-24 season after he was banished from the first team. He has joined Chelsea on a season-long loan deal this season, with the Blues having an obligation to buy next summer.
What happened between Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho at Manchester United?
Erik ten Hag dropped Jadon Sancho from his Manchester United squad for their clash with Arsenal last season. The Dutch manager, who was quizzed about the decision after the game, claimed that the Englishman had not trained well.
Sancho was furious at the comments and posted a statement on social media saying he was being made a scapegoat. The winger later deleted the post but refused to apologize to the manager, who banished him from the first-team squad.
Sancho failed to break into the matchday squads this season and joined Chelsea on loan in the final hours of the summer transfer window.