Jadon Sancho has reportedly decided to push for a Manchester United exit in January after holding crunch talks with manager Erik ten Hag.
The Daily Star reports that the 23-year-old and Ten Hag struggled to settle their differences during talks on Monday (September 11). The Red Devils boss had publicly called the player out for underperforming in training and dropped him from his squad to face Arsenal in the Premier League game on September 3.
The English winger quickly hit back with a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, insisting that he’d trained well. He claimed that he was made a scapegoat, and a social media frenzy ensued.
Sancho will now look to leave Manchester United in January, and a loan move is mooted with the possibility of an option to buy. Reports claim that Borussia Dortmund are keeping tabs on his situation and could bring him back to Signal Iduna Park.
The England international enjoyed a meteoric rise at Dortmund, bagging 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games across competitions. That form hasn’t been replicated at Old Trafford, as he has struggled with both confidence and a lack of game time.
Sancho has scored just 12 goals and provided six assists in 82 games across competitions since joining Manchester United from BvB for £73 million in 2021. He has been handed just three substitute appearances this season, totaling 76 minutes.
Ten Hag has shown in the past that he’s willing to make ruthless decisions. A similar situation arose with Cristiano Ronaldo, who left in November after the pair fell out.
Sancho’s post hitting back at Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is still pinned to his X account
It’s been over a week since Sancho took to X to respond to Ten Hag’s claim that he had underperformed in training.
The Manchester United winger’s statement was a lengthy one that seemingly accused his manager of lying:
“Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is 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’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!”
This post is still on the player’s X account and has garnered 62.1 million views. Moreover, it’s also pinned to his account, which means it’s the first post users read when going on to Sancho’s profile.
It’s an indication that the war of words between the former Dortmund man and Ten Hag remains. The Dutch coach is a stickler for strict discipline, and this sort of action is likely to jeopardize Sancho’s future at Manchester United.