Jadon Sancho is training away from Manchester United’s first team after refusing to apologize to coach Erik ten Hag, The Athletic can reveal.
The 23-year-old will now work away from his teammates at United’s academy facilities as the club attempts to resolve what they describe as a “squad disciplinary issue” following his public outburst on social media following the Premier League game against Arsenal Month.
Sancho said he had been made a “scapegoat for a long time” after Ten Hag previously claimed Sancho was not named in the matchday squad for the 3-1 defeat because of his performances in training.
The England international was subsequently asked to apologize to the manager but refused to do so, which has now resulted in the club taking action.
United declined to comment when approached by The Athletic.
Sancho has been effectively ruled out of first-team training and will now not be considered for selection, starting with Brighton & Hove Albion’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, until a resolution is reached.
A club statement on Thursday said: “Jadon Sancho will continue to take part in a personal training program away from the first team group until a matter of squad discipline is resolved.”
Sancho no longer trains with teammates (Photo: Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Ten Hag said after the trip to the Emirates Stadium on September 3 that Sancho’s omission from the squad was due to his performances in the week leading up to the game.
“Jadon was confident in his performance in training, we didn’t select him,” he said. “You have to reach your level every day at Manchester United, you can make decisions at the front line, that’s why he wasn’t selected in this game.”
Sancho later responded on Twitter: “Please don’t believe everything you read! I won’t let people say things that are completely untrue. I did very well in training this week.
“I believe there are other reasons for this matter which I will not go into. I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time, which isn’t fair!
“All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team. I respect all the decisions made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and I’m grateful for that because I know every week is a challenge. I will keep fighting for this badge no matter what!”
United were prepared to sell Sancho to Saudi Arabia before the transfer window closed last week, but the player rejected a commitment and instead flew to New York for a break.
Before the Arsenal game, Sancho had featured in all three of United’s Premier League games, most recently against Nottingham Forest on August 26.
Sancho moved to United from Borussia Dortmund in July 2021 in an €85 million deal and has since played 82 games for the club, scoring twelve goals.
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(Photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)