Erik ten Hag gives cryptic answer to Jadon Sancho question, sets Manchester United demands

Erik ten Hag issued a rather cryptic answer when asked about Jadon Sancho’s return to the Manchester United squad, setting the demands for his players.

Jadon Sancho, 24, spent the latter half of last season away from Manchester United due to a falling-out with manager Erik ten Hag, who left him out of the squad for a match against Arsenal.

Sancho hasn’t played competitively for United since the end of August last year after Ten Hag pointed to his inadequate training performances as the reason for his exclusion. In response, Sancho issued a public statement denying these allegations, which led to his temporary removal from the squad and a six-month stint with Borussia Dortmund.

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Despite speculation that he would be sold this summer, Sancho and Ten Hag reconciled their differences through a detailed conversation. Sancho has now returned to the United team and is fully engaged in pre-season training.

Although Sancho has not kicked a competitive ball for the club since his fall out with Ten Hag, he played in every one of Ten Hag’s pre-season matches except for the initial tie against Rosenborg. Should he play against Brighton, it would be his first competitive minutes for the club in 364 days.

During his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag was asked whether Sancho would return to the United team after he was left out against Fulham due to an ear infection, but he was rather cryptic with his response.

Ten Hag used the question to explain the demands he has set for his United squad, explaining that their attitude must be top and understand that sometimes they will be disappointed with the selection decisions.

“We will see,” he said. “We have a squad, and I hope we will have a squad with double positioning. When we go into the season after 1 September, then that also means you can’t select all the players for a game.

“But we need all the players throughout the season because this will be a season of survival of the fittest. We have to manage it but also the attitude of the players is important. Sometimes, they will be disappointed, but they have to deal with it.

“You don’t win with 11; you win as a squad. The prizes are decided next May so, until then, we need all the players in the squad and we need a high level of motivation.

“That is not an expectation. It is a demand from the club and the manager. It is the squad over everything, and that will always be more important than just one individual.”

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