Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho has three options as tensions between him and Erik ten Hag go public.
As per the Guardian, United are standing by Erik ten Hag’s comment on Sancho following the club’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, with the player risking disciplinary action over his social media outburst.
Ten Hag claimed after the loss at the Emirates Stadium that he had omitted Sancho from the match-day squad due to “his performances in training”. That prompted a rebuttal from Sancho, who claimed on X that he had been made a “scapegoat”.
United and Ten Hag have chosen not to make a public statement in response to Sancho, with sources having told the Guardian there is “nothing to add” to the manager’s comments.
Tensions have allegedly been building between Ten Hag and Sancho for weeks, with the United manager unhappy with the 23-year-old’s performances in training.
In the wake of the public spat, United legend Rio Ferdinand claimed Sancho had two options - to fight for his place at United or to seal a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.
Speaking on the Rio Presents Five YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: “There's no way Jadon is putting out a statement like that if he hasn't in his own eyes performed well.“That's the difference as well. On his chart, Jadon [might think] - ‘I've trained alright’, but the manager might have a different standard. There are two ways this ends. There's only one window open now and that's Saudi. Or you're on the bench or not getting in the squad for the rest of the season.”
Sancho has struggled at United since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund for £73million in July 2021. In that time he has claimed just 12 goals in 82 appearances and has not played for England since October 2021.
At present the winger looks to be low in Ten Hag’s pecking order, with academy prospects Hannibal Mejbri and Dan Gore having made the substitutes’ bench ahead of the Sancho on Sunday.
However, a move to Saudi Arabia would appear strange at this stage in Sancho’s career.At 23, Sancho, who was among the world’s best players while at Dortmund, would be taking a significant step down by moving to the Saudi Pro League, with the transfer unlikely to reignite his career or help his England chances.
Indeed, except for 21-year-old Gabri Veiga, who made a controversial move from Celta Vigo to Al-Ahli this summer, most of the players moving to the Saudi Pro League are in the latter stages of their careers.
A third option would be to move to the Turkish Super Lig, with the division's transfer window running until September 15.
However, Turkish football is fanatical and relatively competitive but rarely platforms players to bigger things in the European game - which presumably is Sancho’s ambition.
The last player of Sancho’s profile to reignite his career in Turkey before returning to Europe’s elite is arguably Nicolas Anelka, who left Fenerbahçe in 2006.
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