Jadon Sancho has decided ‘enough is enough’ and wants OUT of Man United after clashing with Erik ten Hag, says Darren Bent… who suggests ‘the challenge of the Premier League is too big for the £73m winger’
Jadon Sancho has decided ‘enough is enough’ at Manchester United by going public with criticism of manager Erik ten Hag, according to Darren Bent.
The winger publicly hit back after his manager suggested his performances in training weren’t good enough to warrant inclusion in United’s squad to face Arsenal last weekend.
Taking to social media, Sancho contradicted Ten Hag over the training and claimed he’d ‘been a scapegoat for a long time’.
The pair were set for showdown talks on Monday with Sancho’s long-term future at Old Trafford in doubt.
It came after Mail Sport revealed Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq made a move to sign Sancho during the final days of the transfer window but refused to meet United’s asking price.
‘If he had the intention of staying at Manchester United, of wanting to stay at the club, or had a burning desire to stay, you do it in-house,’ Bent said on talkSPORT.
‘You go to the manager’s office and you say, “look, I don’t really like what you did there. If my training standards are not good enough, then just tell me.”
‘I’m sure he’s told him before and then we will try and deal with it.
‘But the fact he went public tells me he wants out of there. He’s had enough.
‘Maybe the challenge is too big for him, which is a shame because he’s got a lot of ability, he’s got talent. Maybe the Premier League is too quick for him.’
Sancho, 23, has been underwhelming in his two season with United since signing from Borussia Dortmund for £73million in 2021.
Last December, Ten Hag revealed Sancho would be unavailable for a period of time due to ‘physical and mental’ factors as he contended with injury issues.
Ten Hag sent Sancho to train alone in Holland under the close eye of coaches the Dutch manager trusted.
But as Mail Sport revealed last week, United didn’t have permission to go public with Sancho’s fight against mental health difficulties.
Bent added: ‘Ten Hag has given him every possible opportunity by the way, by sending him away to try and get himself fit. He’s come back and it hasn’t worked.
‘That tells me he’s thinking “enough’s enough, get me out of here.”
‘I’ve never liked managers coming out and criticising their players publicly because it never ends well. I think about [Jose] Mourinho with [Paul] Pogba, Mourinho with Luke Shaw.
‘I never think it ends well, it ends ultimately with someone leaving the club, sometimes the manager.
‘But the relationship – you never, ever get that player back. Now it’s going to be extremely hard for someone like Jadon Sancho to get himself back to the level that he was at, because we haven’t seen it yet.
‘Now it almost looks like to me that he’ll be gone.’
But Sancho may get an opportunity when United host Brighton in the Premier League this Saturday with Brazilian winger Antony on paid leave as he contests assault allegations.
However, Mail Sport revealed United are considering a shock move for former Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi – a free agent – to cover for Antony and Sancho.
Bent added: ‘Some people have said ‘would it look weak if Erik ten Hag brought him back?’ But I think no.
‘If anything, this might give Jadon Sancho a kick up the bum because there is an opportunity there now, if he trains really well this week, he’s had a couple of weeks now to train hard and get itself up to the level.
‘If Brighton comes up now and someone else is playing on the right ahead of him, that tells you everything you need to know.’
