OLIVER HOLT: The sad truth is that Jadon Sancho is not a scapegoat… he’s become an afterthought at Manchester United. Now is not the time to lose faith in Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag tried not to condemn Jadon Sancho during his post-match press conference at the Emirates on Sunday when he responded to a question as to why the English man had not been in Manchester United’s squad to take on Arsenal.

Ten Hag didn’t throw Sancho under the bus, as some suggested. But he didn’t falter either. He said Sancho was not selected based on the evidence of his performance in training.

Ten Hag was not confrontational or hostile. He does not demagoguery or please the public. He was businesslike. The United manager was only committing football’s cardinal sin: telling the truth.

Ten Hag did not imply lack of discipline, misconduct or bad attitude. He just refused to lie. Without naming them, he suggested that others — including Facundo Pellistri, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Hannibal Mejbri, Dan Gore and Marcus Rashford — deserved more of a place in the roster.

Sancho, a sublimely talented player who settled with Borussia Dortmund a few years ago with brilliant performances, is entitled to a right of reply if he deems it prudent, and in the world of social media he has a platform ready to go.

It is also possible to sympathize with Sancho without agreeing with the content of his answer. We learned later than we should that earning millions of pounds does not protect athletes from mental health problems, and the fact that Sancho struggled with that has been reported before.

But that doesn’t change the fact that his statement made him sound right, as if a place in the roster was his right. When he said he had been scapegoated for “a long time,” it felt like he was responding to allegations that had not been made against him.

A scapegoat for what exactly? He didn’t specify it. It doesn’t matter much. The sad truth is that Sancho is not important enough as a United player to be a target for unnecessary criticism. Nobody blames him. He’s not a scapegoat. He has become an afterthought.

The schism between the manager and a player who has effectively called him a liar is symptomatic of a club struggling for breath as it struggles under the dead hand of its owners, the Glazers, and waits and waits for the result of a Kafka like sale. a process that feels like it is destined to never be completed.

It is also an enduring symbol of the dysfunction Ten Hag inherited when he took charge at Old Trafford early last season and began to shed a culture that placed celebrity and reputation above performance and team ethic.

Ten Hag does not favor star players because they have a large presence on Instagram or a few million followers on Twitter. Cristiano Ronaldo was a slippery passenger at United when Ten Hag arrived and Ten Hag took him on.

He is not afraid of player power. He’s taking it head on and at a time when more and more supporters are joining famous players and charismatic managers, regardless of their fading abilities, that’s not always a popular place to be.

Ten Hag deserves our respect for following that path and for restoring the manager’s authority at Old Trafford. Because in the other direction lies madness and chaos.

It’s easy to be critical of Ten Hag as United stutter at the start of the Premier League season and work to build on the progress they made last season.

But now is not the time for the club’s supporters to lose faith in their manager, especially not because of Sancho’s outburst.

United did not play well against Arsenal. They looked dull and dull for most of the match, only leavened by Christian Eriksen’s pass that provided Rashford’s fine finish for their only goal.

And yes, it looked like a stop sign as Anthony Martial started up front and Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans finished the game as United’s central defensive partnership.

But these are early days. Rasmus Hojlund, who joined United for a fee of £72 million, came off the bench and made an immediate impact. He will improve the side.

Sofyan Amrabat, also a new signing, will also improve when he becomes available after the international period. United have injuries to other key players, who will return soon. It will be better.

The quarrel with Sancho is only a side issue. Above all, it’s a sad cameo, a story of a good player lost his way, an outstanding talent who joined at a difficult time in United’s history and, like others before him, seems to have struggled with the pressures of the club. playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

The irony of Sancho’s outburst on Sunday night is that Ten Hag did everything he could to rehabilitate him and give him time to recover, as the winger reportedly struggled with physical and mental health issues last season.

His treatment of Sancho, the patience he showed towards him, was rightly held up as an example of sensitive, progressive, modern management. The club also deserves credit for the way the matter has been handled and the duty of care they have shown towards him.

Now it is difficult to see a way forward for the player at Old Trafford. The club’s former defender Rio Ferdinand suggested that Sancho should try to escape to Saudi Arabia, if indeed there is such a thing as an escape to Saudi Arabia.

Unfortunately, his scapegoat statement, citing ‘other reasons for this matter which I shall not go into’, will likely be his epitaph at United.

It will be one of the last acts of a player whose popularity on social media and among supporters far exceeds his effectiveness.

United paid £73 million for him in 2021 after a lengthy pursuit and he has since scored nine league goals and made six assists in 58 appearances.

Those are the bare stats. It’s not about guilt, it’s about a fine talent turned minor player. He’s only 23. He has the talent and the time to rebuild his broken self-confidence elsewhere.

Ten Hag has decided that Sancho no longer deserves a place in the selection before players like Pellistri. He leads a meritocracy, not selection by social media or by the content of a highlight reel from those quiet days in Dortmund.

Leaving aside the blunder, anger and legality of his statement, beyond the fragile ego, beyond the poignancy of a player who cannot quite comprehend how far he has fallen, Sancho’s schism with Ten Hag is simply a sad story about a star who has no reputation. has more. .

Eddie’s complaints now include Cipriani’s claim

As England head into their first ever Rugby World Cup match against Argentina on Saturday, the malevolent ghost Eddie Jones appears to be accompanying them every step of the way.

To no one’s surprise, the former England coach doesn’t appear to have been much distressed by the strife in the country and has now even gotten into a fight over his players’ sex lives.

Ex-England fly-half Danny Cipriani, in his autobiography Who Am I? written. that in 2016 Jones seemed more concerned about questioning him about the intimacy of his relationship with television presenter Kirsty Gallacher than anything to do with rugby.

Jones told Mail Sport yesterday morning that the claims were a “complete fabrication.” At least it’s more fun than talking about England’s chances in France.