Erik ten Hag opens up on conversation with Jadon Sancho which led to exiled Man United star being brought back into the fold after returning from his Borussia Dortmund loan spell

Erik ten Hag opens up about the conversation he had with Jadon Sancho that led to his banishment from Old Trafford.

The 24-year-old was pulled from first-team training after the pair clashed when the Dutchman claimed the England star’s performance in training was sub-par.

Sancho then took to social media to lash out at his manager, claiming he was lying about his performances. He ultimately refused to apologise and was dropped from the team.

Now, in a conversation about his relationship with Sancho, Ten Hag said ADVERTISEMENT: ‘We had a good talk. Anyone can make a mistake. If the player thinks about it, draw a line and move on.

“This club needs good players, and one thing is for sure: Jadon Sancho is a terribly good player. I hope that the connection will come, and that it will contribute to our success.”

The pair fell out after the Dutchman criticised the Englishman’s training performance

Earlier this week, United lost their pre-season friendly against Rosenborg. Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, Casemiro and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were all in the starting line-up at the Lerkendal Stadium, along with experienced defender Jonny Evans.

Rosenborg were already in the competition and the home team were much sharper than United. Czech goalkeeper Radek Vitek had to make a number of saves, while winger Marius Broholm hit the United crossbar twice.

Ten Hag made the expected drastic changes in the second half, replacing all ten outfield players with players from the youth academy.

However, it was Rosenborg, who had again hit the post earlier in the match, who ultimately made the breakthrough when Noah Holm fired in the winning goal in injury time.

“The result is not secondary. Of course we play pre-season, but at Man United the standard is that you win games and certainly do not lose games,” the Dutchman said on MUTV.

Sancho was loaned to Borussia Dortmund last season, where they reached the Champions League final

‘So if you can’t win, don’t lose the game, like we did in the last second of the game. But of course the performance is more important and it was below par.’

Ten Hag, who recently extended his contract until 2026, added: ‘We can talk about everything that is bad, but I’m not that type.

‘I’ve seen and this is not the standard for top football. Top football, you have to achieve much higher standards, it starts with each individual, make sure you are fit.

‘I know we can’t be match fit at the moment, I know you need these games. The opposition are (already) in the league, so they have a much higher fitness level – but we are Man United and we should perform better.’