Jadon Sancho, Erik ten Hag 'have barely spoken since Arsenal game'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 11 October 2023

Sancho, Ten Hag 'have barely spoken since Arsenal game'

Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho has 'barely spoken' to Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag since the duo's falling-out, according to a report.

Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho has reportedly 'barely spoken' to Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag since the duo's high-profile falling-out last month.

The 23-year-old has not featured for Man United since the 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on August 26, with Ten Hag saying that he left him out of the clash with Arsenal on September 3 due to some poor performances on the training ground.

Sancho took to social media to firmly deny those suggestions, and the two individuals have been in a stand-off since, with the England international removed from the first-team picture, having seemingly failed to apologise to his manager for his public comments.

According to inews, the two have 'barely spoken' since the Arsenal incident, and there is 'no relationship' between the pair at this moment in time.

The report claims that Ten Hag is desperate for the club to move Sancho on, believing that the forward is a 'disruptive influence' on the rest of the squad.

Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho on July 22, 2023 © Reuters

Sancho is widely expected to leave in January unless there is a huge turnaround, with a loan departure thought to be the most likely outcome to a tricky situation.

Ten Hag is believed to want the ex-Manchester City youngster to apologise in front of the first-team squad, but Sancho is seemingly unprepared to do so.

The Man United head coach is said to be refusing to alter his position, suggesting that Sancho has played his last game for the 20-time English champions.

Juventus are believed to be interested in signing him in January, while there have also been reports that his former club Borussia Dortmund could make a move.

Sancho had been tipped to start the 2023-24 campaign in Man United's first XI due to some impressive pre-season performances, but he only appeared off the bench in their opening three matches.

Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho on July 30, 2023 © Reuters

Much was expected of the forward when he completed a big-money switch to Old Trafford from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021.

However, Sancho has only scored 12 goals and registered six assists in 82 appearances for the Red Devils, largely finding it difficult to make his mark for the club.

Speaking ahead of the Brentford match on Saturday, Ten Hag told reporters that there had been no change to the situation.

"I am sorry but there's nothing [that has] changed and he's not available, so he's not part [of the squad]. So I don't have any comment on that. As I said, if he was available, then we would report," he said.

Sancho is down the pecking order when it comes to the forward positions in the England squad, meanwhile, and he was again, unsurprisingly, overlooked in Gareth Southgate's latest selection.