The winger’s exile ‘could be over tomorrow’ if he just says sorry (Picture: Getty)
Several of Jadon Sancho’s Manchester United team-mates have encouraged him to apologise to manager Erik ten Hag but the winger continues to refuse to do so.
The 23-year-old has not played for the Red Devils since the end of August after clashing with Ten Hag over the reasons behind his omission from the matchday squad for a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.
Ten Hag had said Sancho’s performances in training were not at the level required, with the winger taking to social media platform X – formerly known as Twitter – to slam his manager’s comments, branding them ‘completely untrue’ and saying he was being made a ‘scapegoat’.
Sancho has not played for the club since with Ten Hag adamant he needs to apologise publicly if he wants to return to the first-team setup, with the England international currently training at the academy facilities.
Although Sancho has since deleted the tweet, he is refusing to back down in his battle with Ten Hag despite a number of his team-mates trying to talk him down.
According to The Telegraph, a host of players as well as support staff have tried to reason with him, urging him to apologise and end the dispute.
Marcus Rashford – who had his own disciplinary issue with Ten Hag last season – Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are among Sancho’s closest dressing-room allies and all have tried to get him to swallow his pride.
Several players have urged Sancho to swallow his pride (Picture: Getty)
Skipper Bruno Fernandes has also tried to convince Sancho to put the situation to bed, but still the winger is stubbornly refusing to apologise.
Sancho feels Ten Hag has double standards when it comes to his own treatment compared to that of others, with the former Ajax manager’s unwavering support of Antony – and his continued selection despite some underwhelming displays – a source of frustration.
While Sancho’s team-mates understand his grievances, they also know that making accusations about a manager in public will have consequences.
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Particularly the players that have been at the club for some time are conscious of the fact that the discipline levels had dropped significantly before Ten Hag came in and they are largely supportive of his desire to put rules and red lines in place.
Rashford, for example, was dropped against Wolves after being late for a team meeting but apologised publicly and the matter was quickly forgotten.
Were Sancho to do the same, it is claimed his exile could be over tomorrow, but, despite the best efforts of players and staff, he is still refusing to apologise and looks increasingly likely to be sold in the January transfer window.
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The winger’s exile ‘could be over tomorrow’ if he just says sorry.