What went wrong for Sancho at Man Utd?

Ten Hag omitted Sancho from his team that was scheduled to compete against Arsenal in September.

Jadon Sancho's temporary move back to Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the season marks another setback in his tumultuous £73m transfer saga.

The decision gives a momentary solution to a conflict between Sancho and Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag that came to light in early September and is still unresolved.

Furthermore, it gives the opportunity for each party to start over on a deal that has become expensive and failed to meet the expectations of both Manchester United and Jadon Sancho.

Accusations & Blame Game: What's Up?

It came as a bit of a shock when it was clear that Sancho had not been included in Ten Hag's team for the Premier League loss against Arsenal on September 3rd.

Following a successful pre-season, Sancho had been brought on as a substitute three times while United struggled at the beginning of their new season.

United did not give any prior information regarding the matter, therefore it wasn't until the press conference after the game that Ten Hag was questioned about Sancho's nonappearance.

Ten Hag gave a straightforward answer, stating that the player was not selected due to his lackluster performance during training. To be a part of Manchester United, one must consistently maintain a high level of performance.

Sancho didn't agree with the explanation and instantly replied by posting a message on social media, which has since been removed.

He wrote that he will not tolerate false statements made by people. He mentioned that he has behaved appropriately during his training sessions this week.

I think there are additional causes for this issue that I will not delve into. It's unjust that I've been made the target of blame for an extended period of time.

The situation had been sparked. Ten Hag asked for a public expression of regret for the evident defiance towards his leadership, or else Sancho would face rejection.

Although many have begged him to speak up, Sancho has yet to break his silence, despite the requests from both his team-mates and officials at United. Even though Ten Hag has mentioned on multiple occasions that it is within Sancho's control to resolve the issue, the 23-year-old seems to believe that he has nothing to apologize for, or that the Dutchman is not being sincere.

Long Signing & Bad Research

It was not the expected scenario when United finally acquired the former Manchester City academy player, Sancho, on July 23, 2021, after a long chase. The club bought him for a hefty sum of £73 million, shortly after his participation in England's team that lost in the European Championship finals against Italy.

Sancho expressed his excitement by saying "this is a dream come true". However, it ended up being far from it.

During the summer of 2020, the first attempt was made by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the manager of Manchester United, to acquire Sancho. The fee of £90m was discussed and his personal terms were not anticipated to be an issue. Unfortunately, United's negotiation tactics were flawed.

Dortmund announced that they were imposing a strict deadline of August 10th to settle a deal. They believed that it was necessary to have enough time to find a replacement player before the season began. Due to the impact of Covid-19 on logistics, the season had been delayed. However, United chose to disregard this deadline, thinking that it was just a negotiating strategy.

I made an error.

Sancho stayed at Dortmund for the 2020-21 season.

Sancho wrapped up his last season with Dortmund on a high note, achieving 16 goals and 20 assists in all competitions. He played an instrumental role in the German Cup final win against RB Leipzig, scoring two goals. Sancho shared the field with Haaland and Bellingham in the match.

During a recent interview with The Athletic, Solskjaer expressed his desire to enlist him.

The scouts identified Jadon as the prime candidate for the right wing position, and upon observing his skillset, I can comprehend why. Regrettably, the plan did not succeed as expected.

"He has an exceptional talent and we have yet to witness his full potential. I am optimistic about witnessing it, but he appears to favor the position of left-wing, similar to where Marcus Rashford usually plays."

United made a mistake both in the way they negotiated and evaluated how their costly new recruit would fit into the squad.

They also failed to notice, or ignored, a problem with Sancho's personality that became evident in March 2018. This was soon after he played his first game for Dortmund's senior team and just under five months after he was on the England team that won the Under-17 World Cup in India.

Sancho got selected to be part of the England Under-19 team to compete in the elite qualification round of the European Championship in Macedonia. However, before a game against Latvia, Sancho and his ex-Manchester City colleague, Phil Foden, who was also crowned Player of the Tournament at the Under-17 World Cup, arrived at training late. Due to their lack of punctuality, the pair were excluded from the game as a disciplinary action.

Sancho's period in Germany was marked by a frequent emphasis on punctuality, but his displays on the pitch compensated for the inconvenience of managing this issue.

However, England was not in the same situation. Even though Ten Hag's pre-season was impressive, the situation at United changed when Sancho's performance declined in the fall. This was because he was not selected for the World Cup in Qatar.

'Unfit For Fitness: Get On Track'

Sancho was not able to play in the last four games before the 2022 World Cup for United because of an undisclosed illness.

During his club's training camp in southern Spain last December, Ten Hag talked about a matter related to Sancho. Sancho didn't attend because he went to the Netherlands to train with coaches known by Ten Hag as part of his personal training program.

Ten Hag mentioned that Jadon was not physically or mentally well. He further stated that he had multiple discussions with Jadon.

At the beginning of the league, he performed well, but later on, his performance dropped significantly. It's often unclear what causes such a downfall; it happens gradually, and you may not realize it until looking at the stats. Despite scoring goals and assisting in the early part of the season, the crucial moments and impactful moves became scarce over time.

"It's a mix of both the physical and mental aspects. Our aim is to conduct research and help him recover."

Sancho didn't play in a competitive match until February 1, 2023, but he managed to score two goals in his first five games. It seems that whatever agreement they came up with, it worked well.

In his last game of the season in the Premier League, Sancho managed to score a goal and he also kicked off the FA Cup final loss against Manchester City.

Similar to the overall performance of United, there were great expectations for the 2023-24 season. However, just like United, the letdown has been massive.

What's Next After No Regrets?

The latest statements made by Ten Hag about Sancho were discussed in an interview with the fanzine United We Stand. When asked if he had any remorse regarding his handling of the Sancho situation, his response was direct and similar to his comments after the Arsenal game.

He refused to make any alterations and stated, "I am content with my choices."

Ten Hag was hired at Old Trafford to help enforce discipline, which is one of his goals. Opinions differ on whether he was right to take the stance he did with Sancho. Some people think that Sancho has been treated unfairly, especially when compared to other players who haven't been held to the same strict standards.

The leadership of United has supported their manager, but it has come with a cost.

The club asserts that lending money to Dortmund is financially beneficial for them. Sources from Dortmund, on the other hand, express doubt as to how this can be true, given the terms of the agreement.

It is certain that United would receive significantly less than what they originally paid for the player if they were to attempt his sale during the summer. Additionally, it is difficult to envision any team being able to provide a comparable weekly salary of £300,000 to the player. Therefore, it appears logical for him to return to Dortmund at this time.

The area will give Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, who represent Ineos, an opportunity to understand the state of affairs and make decisions about what to do next. What happens to Ten Hag in the future will also be important.

Perhaps Sancho had intended all along to wait and see if Ten Hag remained as United manager in the long run.