Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag confirms that clear-the-air talks have been held with English forward Jadon Sancho.
Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has confirmed that clear-the-air talks have been held with Jadon Sancho, and both are now ready to “move on”.
The Englishman’s career at Old Trafford looked to be all but over following his fall-out with Ten Hag in the early stages of the 2023-24 campaign.
Ten Hag said that he left Sancho out of his squad against Arsenal last September due to some poor performances on the training ground, but the former Manchester City youngster insisted that was not the case, claiming that he had been made “a scapegoat”.
An apology from the 24-year-old would likely have seen the matter dropped, but it is understood that the attacker refused to discuss the situation further with his manager.
As a result, Sancho was removed from the first-team picture entirely, and he spent the second half of last season back on loan at Borussia Dortmund.
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Sancho’s future remains up in the air
The forward was seemingly set to leave Man United this summer, with Juventus thought to be keen, but it was announced last week that he was back in first-team training at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has confirmed that the situation has been resolved following an open discussion, and Sancho could now potentially be involved in Man United’s second friendly of the summer against Rangers on Saturday.
However, the attacker’s future remains open, and it is still possible that he could leave during this summer’s transfer window if the right opportunity arrives.
When asked about the situation on Monday, Ten Hag said: “As we said, we draw the line. Manchester United need good players and Jadon is a good player. We have drawn that line and we move on.”
Sancho has largely struggled to make his mark for Man United since arriving from Dortmund in 2021, only managing 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances in all competitions.
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Ten Hag hints at further additions after Zirkzee confirmation
The 20-time English champions confirmed Joshua Zirkzee‘s arrival at the club from Bologna on Sunday, with the Netherlands international becoming the first signing of the INEOS era.
However, Ten Hag has hinted that there will be more incomings, with Bayern Munich‘s Matthijs de Ligt, Lille‘s Leny Yoro, Everton‘s Jarrad Branthwaite and Paris Saint-Germain‘s Manuel Ugarte all being linked with switches to Old Trafford.
“I think we showed we can beat the best team in the world on the last occasion of the season [a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final]. So when everyone is fit, we already have a good team and achieve a high level,” said the manager.
“But also we know, in the depth, we need more players. Especially this season, again more games, the new model, the new format of Europe – you’ll have more games in a season, more intense games, no winter break, a January that’s very condensed. You need squad depth. Then it’s more and more about survival of the fittest.”
Man United opened their preparations for the 2024-25 campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Norwegian outfit Rosenborg on Monday night.