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Manchester United manager has confirmed that he deliberately chose not to name Jadon Sancho in the squad that travelled to face Arsenal at the Emirates.
United were beaten by three goals to one.
Marcus Rashford got on the score sheet for his side first but goals from Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus clinched all three points for the Gunners.
A report covered by The Peoples Person noted the peculiar absences of Sancho and Scott McTominay.
Ahead of the game, McTominay’s exclusion was explained. The manager cited illness as the reason which rendered the Scotland international unable to make the trip.
Sancho’s absence remained a mystery. United had a weak bench in comparison to Arsenal and could have really used Sancho’s services from the bench in the second-half.
Mikel Arteta’s men were greatly helped by their substitutes who came on and made a huge impact.
During his post-match media obligations, Ten Hag was questioned by reporters about why the English winger did not play a part in proceedings.
The Dutchman said, “On his performance on training we didn’t select him.”
“You have to reach the level every day at Manchester United.”
He added, “You can make choices in the front line, so in this game he wasn’t selected.”
Ten Hag on Sancho: “On his performance on training we didn’t select him. You have to reach the level every day at Manchester United. You can make choices in the front line, so in this game he wasn’t selected.” #MUFC
— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) September 3, 2023
Last season, Sancho, who was struggling at Old Trafford, was given time away from the spotlight by Ten Hag to work on his fitness and mental health.
He came back and was good for a brief period. Pre-season saw him used as a false nine which hinted to where his future possibly lay.
However, Sancho did not start in any of United’s three previous games before Arsenal. From Ten Hag’s comments, it seems once again trouble is brewing in the background with regard to the player.
