Truth behind Sancho v Ten Hag stand-off & how relationship collapsed in 72 hours

Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho’s relationship at Manchester United reportedly collapsed in a fraught 72-hour stand-off.

Sancho has remained isolated away from the United first-team since the beginning of September after he was left out of the matchday squad that was defeated 3-1 at the Emirates by Arsenal on September, 3.

Ten Hag revealed in his post-match press conference that Sancho didn’t miss the game through injury, but instead wasn’t selected “based on his performance in training”. Sancho hit back at the criticism on social media, implying that his manager wasn’t telling the truth.

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According to The Athletic, during the international break that immediately followed United’s defeat at Arsenal, which Sancho wasn’t selected in the England squad for, the Dutchman began to explain to the 23-year-old why he felt his training performances were insufficient.

On Monday, September, 11, Ten Hag showed Sancho videos of a training session ahead of United’s defeat against Arsenal in which he believed Sancho wasn’t trying hard enough. The footage concerned a training session in which the players not selected for the starting 11 against Arsenal replicated the Gunners' approach in a match preparation drill.

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Sancho was selected on the opposing team and knew he would not be in the starting line-up at the Emirates. And in Ten Hag’s eyes, didn’t put enough effort into the training as the Dutchman believed he should have – citing his lack of enthusiasm in the press as a problem.

In the following 72 hours, there were discussions regarding how Sancho could apologise, with Ten Hag wanting a face-to-face apology, which the club would then communicate publicly to contextualise Sancho’s return to the first-team fold. However, Sancho opposed fault and his representatives, including lawyers, were involved in proceedings, which ended in an impasse.

On September, 14, with no breakthrough, United issued a statement stating that Sancho would train away from the first team. It’s said that Ten Hag believes the ball is in Sancho’s court and that the England international must apologise, accept that United will publish the apology, and work hard to regain his place in the team.

United are said to be ‘open to offers’ for Sancho should the situation remain at an impasse, something that Sancho, who has been training and eating with the youth team, is open to.

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