Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has offered his support to Jadon Sancho after the winger was snubbed by Gareth Southgate for the England squad heading to Qatar.
Southgate named three United players in his final list – Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire.
England’s coaching staff seemingly did not think Sancho had done enough to warrant a spot on the plane.
The Englishman has recently missed a few games for the Red Devils with illnesses and it remains to be seen whether he will be available for selection against Fulham.
Speaking to the press ahead of the Fulham game, Ten Hag sympathised with Sancho but alluded to the fact that he understands Southgate’s reasoning for not calling up the United winger.
Ten Hag told reporters, “He [Sancho] has had some really good performances and was going in a good direction.”
“But the last weeks he struggled with illness. Then it’s normal that you don’t get the nomination for it [the World Cup].”
“Every manager will take only fit players to the World Cup.”
When Sancho returns, he will have a fight on his hands to get back into the starting XI.
In his absence, Alejandro Garnacho has broken into the spotlight and has staked a genuine claim to being a regular under Ten Hag’s stewardship.
Anthony Martial‘s return also means that Marcus Rashford is likely to be restored back to the left, which is Sancho’s preferred position.
Rashford is in excellent form and more than deserves to keep his place in the side. On the other hand, Ten Hag’s words suggest that Sancho’s drop in form was caused by illness and in retrospect, perhaps he should have been removed from the team sooner.
Hopefully, Sancho uses the World Cup break to rediscover himself and come back with a bang after the tournament.
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