Chris Sutton thinks Jadon Sancho’s days at Manchester United are numbered after the winger hit back at Erik ten Hag on social media.
The 23-year-old was left out of the squad due to United’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, with Ten Hag stating after the match that he had dropped him due to his performance in training.
Sancho fired back on social media that the claims were ‘completely untrue’ and said he has been made a scapegoat at Old Trafford.
It leaves Sancho, who joined the club for £73million in 2021, in a position that looks difficult to get back from, with his future looking likely to lie away from the Red Devils.
Chris Sutton, speaking on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast, spoke to Ian Ladyman, questioning why Ten Hag went public with the case and why Sancho fired back at his manager on social media.
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Chris Sutton (right) believes Jadon Sancho’s days at Manchester United are numbered
Sancho responded to Erik ten Hag’s reasons for leaving him out of the Man United squad
Ten Hag claimed that the winger was dropped because of his ‘training performance’, which Sancho denies
He said: ‘I don’t understand why Erik ten Hag would publicly exclude him and throw him under the bus.’
After Ladyman replied that the Dutchman gave a “straight answer” to a question, Sutton fired back: “Don’t give an unequivocal answer, because the consequence of that is that there’s a good chance you’re going to lose a talented player.
“By the way, I don’t agree with Sancho and the way he reacted. What happened to knocking on the manager’s door when a manager has publicly shut you out?
‘I think it’s really stupid of Ten Hag to do this. I mean, it looks like Sancho’s days are numbered at Manchester United.’
Ladyman referred to Sancho’s absence from the squad last season, with Ten Hag saying the England international was not ready to play ‘physically and mentally’.
The Mail Sport writer said it would have been unfair to Sancho for people to think those problems had returned if Ten Hag had decided not to comment on his absence against Arsenal.
Sutton suggested that Ten Hag could have said Sancho had a minor injury, to which Ladyman said that would have been a lie.
The former Blackburn, Norwich and Celtic forward replied: “But is that better than turning a player into an enemy? Manchester United have been out of action this season and a fit and fired Jadon Sancho would be a real asset. It looks like he is done at Manchester United.
The 23-year-old took to social media to explain why he believes he is being used as a ‘scapegoat’
“If you’re Jadon Sancho, how do you feel about being publicly left out? You need the support of the manager.
“Kenny Dalglish (at Blackburn) used to say things in the locker room sanctuary. He went to you in the press and said something very different to the players.
“When managers do that, they always have the dressing room with them. As soon as you start calling out a player publicly, there’s a problem.’
Sutton went on to stress that it was “wrong” for Sancho to take to social media, and that Ten Hag would not have dropped him if the 23-year-old was playing at his best.
He added: ‘He is a talented player, it seems that Ten Hag does not want him.
“Sancho should be an asset to Manchester United but it seems his days are numbered.”
Sancho’s future at Old Trafford looks uncertain after his online reaction to Ten Hag
Sancho has yet to start a game this season after coming off the bench in United’s first three games.
After Ten Hag’s comments about his absence from the game against Arsenal, Sancho wrote on social media: “Please don’t believe everything you read!” I will not allow people to say things that are completely untrue. This week I behaved very well during training.
“I believe there are other reasons for this issue which I will not go into. I have been a scapegoat for a long time, which is not fair!
“All I want is to play football with a smile on my face and contribute to the team. I respect all decisions made by the coaching staff, I play with great players and I am thankful for that, which I know is a challenge every week. Either way, I’ll keep fighting for this badge!’
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