Erik ten Hag threatens to expel more Manchester United stars after axing Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho: Reports
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly warned his players that he could expel them like Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.
Sancho and Ronaldo were shown the exit door by the Dutch manager for their actions and other players could follow in their footsteps if they don't exhibit the right behavior.
Sancho left Manchester United on loan earlier this month to move back to Borussia Dortmund, where he made his name. The England international was frozen out of the side since September following a fall-out with Ten Hag.
Before Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo also faced the Dutchman's wrath as the Red Devils mutually terminated his contract following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
Now, Ten Hag has warned his players that they must maintain their discipline on and off the pitch. He said, as quoted by Express Sport:
“If you want to perform you need hungry players. You need players with personalities who are hungry to fight for the badge and fight for this club. And they need to do this in a team.”
The Manchester United boss added:
"It’s not about discipline. It’s about normal behaviour. That is what you can expect from a top professional.”
Erik ten Hag's treatment of Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo has divided the Manchester United fans with some backing the manager and some backing the players. Sancho has made an immediate impact upon his return to Dortmund as he produced an assist in their 3-0 win against Darmstadt.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, remains a goalscoring phenomenon even at the age of 38, having scored 38 goals and provided 13 assists in 44 games for Al-Nassr.
Paul Merson blames Jadon Sancho for his failures at Manchester United
Pundit Paul Merson has insisted that Jadon Sancho has only himself to blame for his failures at Manchester United. The England international has been shipped off to Borussia Dortmund on loan after being frozen out of the side by Erik ten Hag since September.
Paul Merson has said that Sancho can only blame himself for his situation as all he needed to do was apologize to the manager. When asked who to blame for Sancho's failed stint at Old Trafford, Merson told Sky Sports, as quoted by HITC Sport:
“The lad.”
Merson added:
“Of course, it is (solely on his door). He could have gone to the manager and said ‘I am sorry. What I said was a bit harsh’. Even if he didn’t mean it, just go in and say it. He will look back on this when his career is finished at 32, whatever age he is, and think I just signed for the biggest club in the world and I threw it all away."
The Sky Sports pundit concluded:
“That’s the problem with football sometimes now. They get the money so quickly that it doesn’t really matter. The lad had it at his feet – he will look back on his career and think ‘what have I done?’ And he is to blame. He is to blame.”
Sancho announced his return to Borussia Dortmund in style by assisting Marco Reus after coming off the bench against Darmstadt. He scored just 12 goals and provided six assists in 82 games for Manchester United.