Jadon Sancho has been informed by Erik ten Hag that it is up to him to decide whether to apologize to Manchester United and try to save his career at the club.
If United is able to find a team willing to buy their banished star or sign him on loan for the remainder of the season, Sancho is almost certainly going to leave Old Trafford when the transfer window reopens in January.
The 23-year-old winger hasn’t appeared on the pitch in three and a half months after calling Ten Hag outright for not including Sancho in the September loss at Arsenal.
Since refusing to apologise to Ten Hag, he has been training independently at Carrington on a full-pay basis, costing United approximately £4 million in wages under the terms of his £275,000-per-week contract.
Saudi Arabia’s pro-league clubs and Juventus have expressed interest, and Donyell Malen’s former team, Borussia Dortmund, has been connected to a swap agreement.
However, Ten Hag said on Friday that if Sancho is willing to follow instructions, he still has time to remain at United.
The United manager stated in an interview this week that he has no regrets about how he handled the controversy, saying, “It is about a culture, and every player has to match certain standards, and that was about that.”
He is aware of what needs to happen there and what he must do to get back. He has the final say. When asked if he believed the player’s salary was a waste of money, Ten Hag said, “I think that is an internal matter.” We’ll have to wait and see.
This week, Paul Pogba and Sancho were revealed by former United midfielder Nemanja Matic to be the worst culprits when it came to arriving late for practice.
In an effort to establish a more orderly culture within the team, Ten Hag took a firm stance against Alejandro Garnacho last year regarding his timekeeping.
“I knew there were problems,” the Dutchman continued. However, these are young players who must acquire the necessary skills and knowledge of a professional football player’s lifestyle. But he is aware in the interim.
More recently, Ten Hag has become strict with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, benching them for Wednesday’s match against Chelsea after their appalling performances in the previous weekend’s loss at Newcastle.
Rashford is doubtful to play when Bournemouth visits Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon after missing training on Friday due to illness.
As for Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, and Hannibal Mejbri, Ten Hag says United will consider extending their contracts by one year. However, Ten Hag notes that Tottenham must consent to Sergio Reguilon staying on loan at Old Trafford for the duration of the campaign.
