Man United legend Ryan Giggs claims Erik ten Hag publicly criticising Jadon Sancho is ‘the last throw of the dice’ in a bid get the best out of the £73m star – and insists the dressing room ‘have to make sure’ the forward performs

Legendary former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has had his say on the ongoing feud between Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho, insisting the manager has tried ‘everything’ with the player.

Sancho was left out of United’s squad, who lost 3-1 at Arsenal last Sunday. When questioned about the decision to do so, Ten Hag quickly revealed that he was unimpressed with the striker’s performance in training.

Unsurprisingly, Sancho – who cost United £73m in 2021 – was less than pleased with the comments himself. He insisted that he was being made a scapegoat and that there was nothing wrong with his performances on the training pitch.

The player was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia as a result, but with Al-Ettifaq failing to meet United’s valuation it appears he will remain at Old Trafford and for his place in the team will fight.

Giggs believed it appeared Ten Hag was doing his best to get the best out of the talented youngster, and suggested the ball was now in Sancho’s court to show his boss what he’s made of, or sit down sulks.

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“It seems like it was the last roll of the dice. Let’s call him out publicly and see how he responds,” Giggs said Webby and O’Neill.

‘You don’t know it from the outside, but it seems that Ten Hag has really tried everything with Sancho. When he came to the club I was a fan.

‘I thought he could get better, improve, which he hasn’t really done in the short time he’s been at the club. For me he always made the right choices in that final third, which is rare for a young winger.

‘But it just didn’t happen. He (Ten Hag) sent him away to get fit. He has tried him in different positions, and for me publicly calling him out is probably the last straw or the last attempt to get the best out of Sancho.

“The player can react and think, ‘Okay, I’ll show him and the manager what I’m capable of,’ or he can sulk and probably get nowhere. It’s up to Sancho now. I know a lot has been made of his training and for me training at United – from my experience as a player – was harder than the matches.

‘You have to perform in training to be on the field on Saturday. He has to improve, that’s what it comes down to. Because you have a manager who is not satisfied with every day.

‘If it is true that his training performance is not good enough, then you are not going to play.’

It is reported that Clear the Air talks have taken place between the two sides in an attempt to resolve the situation, but Giggs suggested Sancho’s reaction is that of a player who may be ‘at the end of his tether’ at United.

Things have not gone well at Old Trafford for the 23-year-old since his arrival in the summer of 2021. He joined the club after rising to the top as Borussia Dortmund scored 50 goals and provided 64 assists in 137 games.

The forward posted disappointing figures of just 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances, but Giggs believes some of the responsibility lies with his teammates.

“It goes deeper than that,” Giggs claimed, when asked what legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson would have done. ‘It is the responsibility of the dressing room to ensure that he performs every day in training.

‘We rode each other every day. Sometimes the manager didn’t have to do much because we were already in the dressing room and on the training field. The players must take responsibility – if it is true that he is not getting his act together – they must call him on to make sure he delivers. He has talent, we all saw that.

‘There is only one person who can change it. You can only get it back on the training field. Build your fitness, confidence and physicality – do everything you can. Don’t give the manager an excuse to call you.’