Insider: ‘Iron fisted’ Erik ten Hag is ‘testing’ Jadon Sancho after unexpected Man United development
Erik ten Hag could be “testing” Jadon Sancho after he left him out of the Man United squad for their mid-season training camp in Spain.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Sancho missed the last four games before the break for the World Cup and was spotted working with Ten Hag’s trusted coaches in the Netherlands last month (23 November).
Man United confirmed at the weekend (4 December) that the 22-year-old was continuing an individual programme at Carrington rather than flying to Spain.
“Sancho probably won’t see it as a good thing,” Dinnery told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“You tend to get the impression that Erik ten Hag rules with an iron fist. There’s no denying who the boss is and he’s not afraid to make those decisions.
“Ultimately, is this a test from Ten Hag to see how Sancho responds? Does he want to understand the character of the player and have the belief that he’s able to get his head down and do what needs to be done to get back in contention and fulfil some of the promise we saw in those performances in the Bundesliga?
“As a player will he be disappointed and frustrated? I dare say he will.
“He should be using this as an opportunity to prove to Ten Hag that he is worth taking that chance on, that he is worth having that belief in and that he’s able to bounce back from that disappointing first half of the season.
“There’s no doubting his talent it’s just about bringing it all together at United. For whatever reason, it hasn’t quite happened.
“If it’s in regards to his application and attitude, this may be a bitter pill to swallow but could be the wake-up call that he actually needs.
“We will see how the player responds to that. You can only come back one of two ways. You’ve got to come back fighting wanting to prove Ten Hag wrong out of spite or for himself. Or, he goes into his shell and then nobody wins.”
In other news, Liverpool fear their senior man is quitting to join Man United.