Jadon Sancho's Surprising Training Situation Sparks Speculation: What's behind Man Utd Winger's Absence from First Team?

Erik ten Hag requires an apology from Jadon Sancho for his recent social media post where he stated that he was unjustly blamed for an extended period of time. Only after the winger apologizes will he be permitted to rejoin the first-team training. United announced on Thursday that Sancho is currently participating in a "personal training program" until the matter of squad discipline is resolved.

Ten Hag refuses to yield and will not tolerate any defiance to his authority. He insists on Sancho offering his apologies to both him and the club.

Sancho was excluded from United's roster for the journey to Arsenal on Sunday September 3, as Ten Hag stated later, citing inadequate training displays as the reason behind the decision.

Later that evening, the 23-year-old insisted in a post on social media that he had long been unfairly blamed for various issues, countering Ten Hag's false accusations. As a result of his online outburst, Sancho's name emerged in surprising rumors of a loan move to Saudi Arabia. However, he ultimately remained at Old Trafford and is slated to have discussions with the coaching staff in the coming week.

The post was deleted on Tuesday but only after it had been viewed more than 60m times.

There is some sympathy for Sancho within the United camp but not for the way he has gone about things.

Sancho's training performance since the summer has been praised by some players, who believe he should not be solely targeted for criticism. However, it is universally agreed that he should not have publicly confronted the manager. In order to resolve the conflict between the player and the manager, senior executives have been recruited.

This is not the first time England international Sancho has been left out of United training under Ten Hag. Last season, the winger followed an individual fitness program in the Netherlands, where he watched the World Cup from a distance.

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Sancho came off the bench for United in their first three Premier League games of the season

Sancho was not selected for United from October 22 to February 1. However, he did feature in the Carabao Cup final victory against Newcastle when he made his comeback. Sancho concluded the last season with seven goals and three assists for United.

With Sancho's recent absence, there are concerns about the team's shortage in the right-wing position. Antony has postponed his return to club training due to allegations of assault. The Brazilian winger is currently on a paid leave of absence and is not suspended.

Ahead of Man Utd's game with Brighton on Saturday, the inclusion of Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri as the only recognised wide options alongside Marcus Rashford, who typically operates from the left and central positions, is imperative.

What Ten Hag and Sancho said about each other

"Ten Hag explained that Sancho was not selected for the squad against Arsenal due to his performance during training. He emphasized the importance of consistently meeting the high standards set by Manchester United and mentioned that there are various options available in the forward line, which influenced the selection for this particular game."

However, after Ten Hag's remarks during the press conference, Sancho took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to release a statement, stating, "Please refrain from believing everything you read! I refuse to let false information circulate. I have performed exceptionally well during training this entire week."

I think there are additional factors contributing to this issue which I will not delve into. It is unjust that I have been made a scapegoat for an extended period of time!

My only desire is to play football with joy and make a positive contribution to my team.

What's next for Manchester United?