Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was keen to keep hold of Jadon Sancho during the summer transfer window, despite interest from Premier League duo Tottenham and Aston Villa, according to Ben Jacobs.
Sancho has badly struggled in his time at Man Utd, and he’s now at the centre of a huge story after a public spat between himself and Red Devils boss Ten Hag.
Writing in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Jacobs explained precisely what’s gone on behind the scenes, and also commented that Ten Hag was actually keen to keep hold of Sancho instead of letting him go when there was interest in him in the summer.
It remains to be seen if the England international can now revive his career at Old Trafford, but it’s surely worth something that his manager has previously thought highly enough of him to not accept approaches for him when others may well have been tempted to give up on the player after such a poor spell since he moved to the Premier League.
“Jadon Sancho wants to fight for his place at Manchester United, but his statement saying he’s been ‘scapegoated’ hasn’t gone down well with Erik ten Hag,” Jacobs explained.
“Sancho was equally unhappy that the Manchester United boss said so publicly he wasn’t in the squad for the defeat to Arsenal because of “how he performed in training”.
“Sources indicate Ten Hag was disappointed by Sancho’s attitude and application in the build-up to that game. Sancho’s firm rebuttal won’t help smooth things over but I am sure Manchester United will deal with the situation internally.
“Sancho was not really a player Ten Hag wanted to sell this summer despite early interest from Spurs and late interest from Aston Villa.”