Jadon Sancho has been banned from first-team training at Manchester United until he apologizes to furious manager Erik ten Hag.
Sancho has refused to withdraw from their ranks and is being forced to train alone at Carrington’s youth academy so he cannot interact with his teammates.
United made the announcement on Thursday as efforts continued to heal the rift between the 23-year-old player and Ten Hag.
A statement read: ‘Jadon Sancho will continue to undertake a personal training program away from the first-team squad pending a resolution to a squad discipline issue.’
Ten Hag is still angry about Sancho’s social media post, which essentially branded him a liar for saying the player was left out of the squad for the clash against Arsenal because he had not trained properly. The England winger further inflamed the situation by claiming he had been made a scapegoat.
Manchester United removed Jadon Sancho from training after his public row with Erik ten Hag
Sancho remains banned until he apologizes to Ten Hag, who is presumably furious
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The message was deleted on Monday after discussions with Ten Hag, but Sancho has so far refused to apologize.
United football director John Murtough and CEO Richard Arnold have tried to broker a peace deal, although it is understood the club has given Ten Hag full support and is not pressuring him to step down. The manager reportedly felt wronged and decided to take a tough stance by removing Sancho from training.
It is the second time that Sancho has had to train alone by Ten Hag, after he worked alone for eight weeks during the World Cup last winter to overcome physical and mental problems.
Sancho was dropped by Ten Hag for 3-1 defeat against Arsenal due to his ‘training performance’
Sancho responded to Ten Hag’s claims in a social media post that effectively branded him a liar, before further inflaming the situation by claiming to have been made a scapegoat.
On that occasion, however, Ten Hag opted for a more sympathetic approach and sent Sancho to train with Dutch amateur club OJC Rosmalen, where he worked with coaches trusted by the United boss. He did not play for the club for more than three months.
This time, Ten Hag has opted for a tougher approach and is clearly unwilling to forgive and forget Sancho’s transgressions.
United almost sold him to Al-Ettifaq last week in a deal that would have seen the Saudi Arabian club loan Sancho out until the end of the season before signing him permanently, but they were unable to afford the £50 million transfer fee.
United were also willing to listen to offers of around £45m this summer for Sancho, who has had a disappointing career at Old Trafford since joining from Borussia Dortmund for £73m two years ago.