Insider suggests Jadon Sancho not even doing bare minimum after ‘big’ Man United reveal
Jadon Sancho may not even be hitting the “baseline” levels of fitness as he continues to be absent from Man United training.
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 has not featured for Man United since their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on 22 October and is not currently training at Carrington.
Erik ten Hag told Sky Sports after his side’s win over Burnley on Wednesday (21 December) that there was no update on the 22-year-old’s status.
“What I would say, first and foremost, is that we are only privy to what the manager chooses to release and describe an individual’s status,” Dinnery told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.
“Injury-related absence and fitness-related absences are fairly easy statuses to hide behind where you don’t really have to scratch beneath the surface too much.
“There are two ways you can look at this. One is, Jadon Sancho is not as fit as Erik ten Hag would like and you can maybe question the work he’s been putting in on in the training pitch.
“Is he fit? He should be, he’s a footballer who trains every day. Is he meeting the level of expectation that Ten Hag wants? Does he believe that Sancho has more to offer?
“Let’s not forget, every aspect of their work on the pitch and away from the ground is micromanaged. They will have the data and understanding of what they believe Sancho is capable of. It may be that he’s not even hitting baseline assessments.
“If he believes that Sancho has more to offer and is not applying himself or for whatever reason is not able to hit those levels, he’s well within his rights to make those decisions. Ultimately, it’s Ten Hag who will live and die by those big calls and leaving Sancho out is a big call.
“The second point is, could this be a bit of a smokescreen? The conversations that take place behind closed doors they will ultimately want to remain within the club. If they see he’s unfit or injured that’s the end of the conversation.
“There might be other issues that they may not want to divulge because that’s for Sancho to divulge.
“There may be other things at play here. You can’t rule out that slight knock or niggle.”
In other news, Man United have held Super League talks ahead of an announcement in 2023.