Jadon Sancho put himself above Manchester United with his social media outburst over Erik ten Hag’s comments, according to Chris Sutton.
The 23-year-old was left out of the squad for United’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, with Ten Hag stating after the match that he had dropped him due to his performances 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.
The pair will have a showdown on Monday to discuss the issue, which has raised questions over Sancho’s future at Old Trafford.
Speaking on Mail Sport It all starts! podcast, Chris Sutton said Manchester United are in ‘total chaos’, while Ian Ladyman wondered whether modern players are ‘incapable of taking criticism’.
Ian Ladyman (left) wonders if players are ‘incapable of taking criticism’ while Chris Sutton (right) believes Jadon Sancho is ‘putting himself above Manchester United’
Sancho (left) will hold talks with Erik ten Hag (right) about their public fallout after the loss to Arsenal
Ten Hag claimed the winger was dropped because of his ‘training performance’, which Sancho denies
After Ladyman described the saga as “absolute nonsense”, Sutton agreed, saying: “Yes, I think so. I think you were right when you said Erik ten Hag was asked the question about Jadon Sancho, but Ten Hag dug him out, that was always going to be an issue and it’s all been blown up.
“We know it didn’t help Ten Hag, and it also didn’t help Manchester United, which is in total chaos at the moment.”
When Ladyman suggested that Sutton’s comment was a case of ‘players always support players’, Sutton replied: ‘Every action has a consequence and I don’t agree with what Ten Hag has done. I understand your point that he was just being honest, but Sancho’s response has basically turned into a keyboard warrior, hasn’t it?’
In last week’s It all starts! podcast, Sutton said Sancho ‘looks like he’s done at Manchester United and wondered why Ten Hag’ threw him under the bus.
Mail Sport has since reported that Ten Hag was not authorized to publicize Sancho’s mental health problems last season.
Ladyman, Mail Sport’s football editor, says Ten Hag believes he has done everything with Sancho, from putting his arm around his shoulder and giving him space to giving him extra attention.
He said: ‘It didn’t work and this was his last chance to think: ‘Okay, I’m going to say something publicly and it will trigger something within Sancho.
‘He will train harder, he will work harder and maybe we’ll see something of the player we paid £75 million for two summers ago,’ and what has he got? He has Sancho’s doll on the ground. He has been rewarded with that and I think that is extraordinary.’
Sutton said Sancho had three possible choices he could make after hearing Ten Hag’s comments and that the decision he made ‘put himself ahead of the team’.
The 23-year-old took to social media to explain why he thinks he is being used as a ‘scapegoat’
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The former Blackburn, Norwich and Celtic striker said: ‘He had the choice to keep his mouth shut and return to training and prove the manager wrong.
‘He had the choice to knock on Ten Hag’s door and discuss the reactions and honestly dated him when he felt so strongly. And then the third choice, the choice he did make, is going out on Instagram and posting the post he made.
‘And as soon as he did that, I think most people thought this was Sancho giving himself an advantage over the Manchester United team. It’s all about ego. It’s all about brand. And I can’t argue with that.’
Ladyman brought up comments from Micah Richards, who suggested Ten Hag publicly embarrassed Sancho, and questioned whether the modern player is ‘incapable of taking any form of criticism’.
Sutton replied, “Mine I think managers used to be on a pedestalI don’t know if players view managers the same way now.
‘I think players might think they are equal or even more important than the manager. In this case it certainly seems so. Did Jadon Sancho do the right thing for the sake of the Manchester United team? And he definitely didn’t.
“He put himself, you know, ahead of his teammates. But in terms of the old days, in most half-times, full-time, there would be managers taunting players, shouting, teacups. That was the way and as a player you would respond if you actually believed in their own argument.
‘Nowadays I think that with that specific criticism it was not a big deal what Ten Hag said, but the way it has all been blown up, I don’t say that Ten Hag was crazy because he was asked the question: But there was always a danger and I was proven right: this has all gotten out of hand and Manchester United absolutely does not need this at the moment.’
Ladyman recalled Manchester United’s FA Cup victory at home to Nottingham Forest in January and said the ‘highlight of the evening by far’ was Sancho coming off the bench to make his first appearance back in the team after his absence – which was due to what Ten Hag described as physical and mental problems.
Sancho’s future at Old Trafford looks uncertain after his response online to Ten Hag
He added: “He got a standing ovation from 80,000 people. And the reason for that was because the manager had shown him support. The manager had been honest in letting people know that he had had some problems. And the reaction, the sympathy and the empathy of all those Manchester United supporters was fantastic.
‘And I think Sancho has now thrown all that love back in Ten Hag’s face. And I discovered that if something had happened in your time, I don’t think Sancho’s feet would have touched the ground when he went out.”
Sutton said the one big opportunity today compared to the past is the accessibility of social media for players.
He added, “WI’m not interested in a little decency and respect and doing the right thing. And if a manager challenges you, he has challenged you for a reason, call him, go knock on his door and do the right thing and show an element of respect.
‘Sancho will turn around and say: ‘Ten Hag showed me no respect when he publicly called me out’.
‘But isn’t that part of the manager’s right to do that? They are looked at differently than twenty years ago.’
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