Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag defiantly responded that he is only willing to work with "hungry" players who "fight" for the badge amid further questioning of his treatment of Jadon Sancho.
The Dutchman's protracted feud with the English winger has now surpassed the four-month mark since he omitted him from the squad for their 3-1 loss to Arsenal in the first week of September.
Rather than revealing an injury to Sancho, Ten Hag bluntly stated that the 23-year-old had missed out by virtue of poor displays on the training pitches, a version of events which the player strongly refuted.
In a bombshell social media statement, Sancho alleged that he had been made a "scapegoat" and has consistently refused to apologise to Ten Hag for effectively labelling him a liar, leading to his banishment from the first-team picture.
Sancho is not the first player to come to blows with Ten Hag since the ex-Ajax boss took charge at Old Trafford, as he immediately demoted five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo to a peripheral role, and the Portuguese attacker subsequently claimed that he had "no respect" for his manager.
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The Ronaldo saga ultimately ended with a mutual contract termination ahead of his switch to Al-Nassr, and earlier this season, Ten Hag's relationship with another seasoned professional in Raphael Varane was also said to have broken down.
Varane was reportedly miffed at falling behind Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof in the pecking order, but Ten Hag quickly shot down claims that he had fallen out with the ex-Real Madrid man.
Sancho's efforts to force an exit from Man United eventually paid dividends as he was loaned back to Borussia Dortmund last week, and on his second debut for the club, he registered an assist for Marco Reus in a 3-0 win over SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday.
Speaking to the press ahead of Sunday's crunch Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Ten Hag insisted that his highly publicised treatment of Sancho was not related to "discipline" but simply the standards he expects from a Man United player.
"It's not about discipline. It's about normal behaviour. That is what you can expect from a top professional," the Daily Mail quotes Ten Hag as saying.
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"If you want to perform you need hungry players. You need players with personalities and who are hungry to fight for the badge and fight for this club. And they need to do this in a team."
Sancho is one of two Man United players set to spend the second half of the campaign on loan in the Bundesliga, as out-of-favour midfielder Donny van de Beek was shipped out to Eintracht Frankfurt.
More fringe players could head for the Old Trafford exit door in the coming weeks, including Tunisian youngster Hannibal Mejbri, who is apparently at the centre of a two-way tussle between Sevilla and Everton.
The Red Devils have also decided against triggering 12-month extensions in the deals of Varane and Anthony Martial, who are now free to open talks with foreign clubs over pre-contract agreements.
However, Martial is believed to be keen on staying at Old Trafford in January to fight for his spot in the team, but he will sit out Sunday's visit of Tottenham with his unexplained illness.
Ben Knapton
