Jadon Sancho’s life at Manchester United remains in the balance as his loan spell at Borussia Dortmund ended last Saturday. Sancho joined Manchester United in the summer of the 2020/2021 season for a 73 million pound fee after setting the Bundesliga on fire, with Borussia Dortmund. During his first three seasons at Old Trafford, his performances have been underwhelming compared to those last three seasons at Borussia Dortmund. In his first season, he scored five goals and registered three assists in 38 games. In his second season, he netted seven goals and three assists in 41 games.
Despite scoring some crucial goals for Manchester United, including that famous 2-1 win over Liverpool, things were not going according to plan for Sancho and United. During the first half of the 2023/2024 season, Sancho played three games and did not score or assist before falling with the manager, Erik ten Hag.
The ace Manchester United winger went under the radar after he was dropped from their match-day squad by Ten Hag for a clash with Arsenal early in September. Manchester United went on to lose that game 3-1. According to Erik Ten Hag, Sancho was sidelined due to his lazy training performance.
Sancho, however, dismissed the allegation on social media, claiming to have been made a "scapegoat" - effectively calling his manager a liar in the process. Sancho was then instructed to train independently and wasn't even allowed to eat in United's canteen with his teammates.
Ten Hag, a powerful character, demanded heavily that Sancho apologize to be reintegrated, but the English superstar held firm on his stance. Benni McCarthy, who claims to have acted as a mentor and a friend to Sancho, opted to shed some light on the situation.
Appearing on South African radio station 947 Joburg, he said: "If you’re from the streets, no one wants to apologize. "You admit you are not training well, you are lazy, everything you are accused of. Jadon wasn’t going to have that. "The manager has a strong character and just said he only wants an apology. Jadon thought that he had done nothing wrong. "He didn't see why he had to apologize. Sometimes, you must apologize because a player will never win against a manager. "I spoke to Jadon as a coach, mentor, friend, and someone who grew up on the streets and knew the code.”
"But Jadon just wasn’t seeing it. He said, 'I ain’t apologizing because if I do, I’m apologizing for being lazy, always being late, not giving my best – that’s what I’m apologizing for.' Those were his reasons. "I spoke to the manager, and I said to him that you know the delicacy, and I think Jadon feels that if he apologizes, then he's going to be classed as someone who doesn't train hard, doesn't work hard, that everything that was said against him was true." McCarthy went on to add that the saga "ended up dragging," before claiming that it could have been "easily avoided just by communication."
Sancho was reluctant to apologize and desperately needed minutes, so he returned to Borrusia Dortmund on loan in the January window. On his return, he helped Dortmund to reach the Champions League finals. Sancho has since played 14 games, created 25 chances, scored two goals, and made two assists. His performance in the Champions League finals was rather disappointing. Sancho had a miserable afternoon after sparks of brilliance in the semi-finals against PSG; he had no shot on target, zero shots off target, zero chances created, and made only one pass in the final third before being substituted in the 87th minute.
With many players set to leave Manchester United in the summer, Sancho would get more playing time in the positions available. United is yet to decide Erik Ten Hag's future. Ten Hag still has another year on his contract, and after winning the FA Cup despite a dismal performance in the EPL, he might be asked to continue his role at the helm. Sancho has two years left on his United contract and has otherwise been linked with Juventus or a move to the Saudi Pro League.
Also Read: Bruno Fernandes seeks clarity on Future at Manchester United