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The Premier League season may have taken a break due to the international fixtures, but Manchester United remain in the news for all the wrong reasons.
After their away day defeat at the hands of Arsenal, manager Erik ten Hag was asked to explain his rationale behind dropping Jadon Sancho from the matchday squad.
The Dutchman explained that the Englishman’s application during training the past week was below par, hence his exclusion.
Sancho did not hold back, immediately going on to post a statement on social media without the club’s consent in which he stated that he was being made a scapegoat and that there were other reasons behind the snub.
Sancho-ETH feud
Sancho’s camp have claimed that the former Ajax coach gives preferential treatment to former Ajax star Antony, which has robbed the former Borussia Dortmund winger from getting a regular run of games.
This is the latest player feud Ten Hag has had to deal with since he took over the reins at Old Trafford, following clashes with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, and Harry Maguire.
Former footballers have weighed in on the apparent spat with Gary Lineker suggesting it was normal for the winger to defend himself while Rio Ferdinand added that the player might even be sold.
During the summer transfer window, the 23-year-old was linked with moves to Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and former club Borussia Dortmund just to name a few.
🚨💰 A 🇸🇦 club is exploring the opportunity to sign Jadon #Sancho and just sent an official offer to the #ManUnited player.
⏳ Evaluations ongoing: evolving situation. 🐓⚽ #Transfers #MUFC pic.twitter.com/dldvOPFsaJ
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) September 5, 2023
There were even discussions about the possibility of a swap deal with Chelsea with Marc Cucurella heading the other way. Obviously, that did not work out in the end.
The transfer window might have closed for most of the top leagues across Europe but Saudi Arabia remains a legitimate option and the England international is attracting interest following his clash with the manager.
According to journalist Rudy Galetti, “A Saudi Arabian club is exploring the opportunity to sign Jadon Sancho and just sent an official offer to the Man United player.
“Evaluations are ongoing: It is an evolving situation,” the Italian tweeted.
Saudi club make offer for Sancho
The unnamed Saudi club would surely enhance Sancho’s current weekly wages of £350,000 (as per Spotrac) but whether the player would be willing to move remains a doubt.
With most United players leaving for international duty, Sancho is expected to train at Carrington as he missed out on a call-up, and clear-the-air talks are expected between the manager and the player.
Ten Hag is known to be a disciplinarian and he is unlikely to have taken this issue well. It remains to be seen if the player can return to the manager’s good books.
It would be foolish to let go of Sancho at this stage due to the lack of options at the boss’ disposal with all the issues surrounding Antony at the moment.
But Ten Hag has shown he is not afraid to take big calls and it will be intriguing to see how he handles this latest episode. The club are said to be backing the manager unequivocally and if not now, a January move could be on the horizon.
