Manchester United's Jadon Sancho removed from first-team squad after he refused to apologise to Ten Hag following social media post - Reports
Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho has reportedly refused to apologise to manager Erik ten Hag for his social media outburst, plunging his immediate future at the club into uncertainty.
Sancho, 23, was not part of the Manchester United squad that lost 3-1 at Arsenal on September 3, just before the international break. Ten Hag said after the game that the player's absence from the matchday squad was due to his poor attitude in training.
That drew a strong response from Sancho, who in a now-deleted tweet posted that he had conducted himself well in training. The Englishman also added that he was being made a scapegoat, which didn't enthuse Ten Hag or the club hierarchy. He had tweeted:
“Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that (are) 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 have been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!”
The Athletic has reported that the player was asked to apologise to his boss, but he refused. The fallout of that is that Sancho will not be considered for first-team selection and will train at the academy.
United termed that a 'squad discipline issue' and have released a short statement:
“Jadon Sancho will remain on a personal training programme away from the first team group pending resolution of a squad discipline issue.”
It's pertinent to note that United are also without another winger, Antony, who faces sexual assault charges and the club have given him a leave of absence.
How Jadon Sancho has fared at Manchester United
Jadon Sancho has had a torrid time since arriving at Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund in a €85 million deal in 2021. The 23-year-old has failed to replicate his BvB numbers at Old Trafford.
In 82 games across competitions, he has only bagged 12 goals and six assists, while at BvB, he had 50 goals and 64 assists in 134 games. Last season, under Ten Hag, Sancho made 41 appearances across competitions, scoring seven goals and registering three assists.
The Euro 2020 runner-up has played three league games this season, starting none. He has accrued just 76 minutes of cumulative game time and is without a goal contribution.