Manchester Divided? Turmoil as rift emerges between Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag

Jadon Sancho has fired back at his manager at Manchester United after being dropped from the Red Devils’ squad for their clash against Arsenal.

Dutchman ten Hag, who is entering his second season in charge of United, claimed Sancho’s, “performances in training” were the reason for being dropped.

Ten Hag would go on to say, “You have to reach a certain level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line. So for this game he was not selected.”

So far this campaign, Sancho has been a minor figure in United’s attack, coming off the bench in the first three games.

Jadon Sancho responded to his manager’s claims with a statement online.

Sancho’s statement has done nothing to quiet the storm around United as he claims, “I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week.”

The Englishman goes on to say, “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!”

Sancho’s language certainly doesn’t clear up the issue, leading to more questions than answers as the rift between player and manager widens.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund player goes on to claim, “I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what.”

While Sancho seems very unhappy after being dropped, his performances for United haven’t lived up to the £73 million price tag, scoring only 12 times in 82 games.

Last season, despite his up-and-down performances, Sancho was still a regular starter for United, but this year he is seemingly behind Anthony, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in the pecking order.

For Sancho, his time at United hasn't gone well but during his time at Borussia Dortmund he was viewed as one of the best players in the Bundesliga, combining with Erling Haaland in devastating fashion.

When he was signed by United it seemed like quite the statement for the Red Devils as they were able to snag one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe but now he finds himself on the outside looking in having been dropped.

United ended up losing 3-1 to their old rivals as their shocking away form continues. Whilst it’s impossible to know if Sancho would’ve helped, him not being there certainly wasn’t a positive.

This is not the first time ten Hag has been in a public spat with a big-name winger at Manchester United as he and Cristiano Ronaldo famously butted heads last year, leading to the Portuguese leaving the club for free.

Ronaldo famously sat down in an interview with Piers Morgan where he claimed he had, “no respect” for ten Hag and that he felt, “betrayed” by the club.

Ten Hag was quick to respond, claiming Ronaldo had kept quiet behind the scenes and only revealed how he truly felt in the interview, leading ten Hag to tell Sky Sports there would be, “consequences” for Ronaldo.

Given the nature of Jadon Sancho’s statement, the circumstances around his demotion from the squad remain unclear, will ten Hag feel the need to respond? Will the two clear the air? Certainly one to keep an eye on!