Manchester United star Jadon Sancho was in the headlines last night, after he hit out at manager Erik Ten Hag – declaring that he has been made a ‘scapegoat’ [via Twitter].
Sancho has become a fringe player at United in recent months, having been phased out of the starting lineup by Ten Hag. This has led to murmurs that he has not been performing well in training – something that Sancho has taken offence to.
In response, the former Manchester City academy graduate took to Twitter to defend himself, declaring all accusations to be ‘completely untrue’.
What did Jadon Sancho say on Twitter?
In a post on his official Twitter account, Sancho wrote: “Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!
“All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to the team. I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and [I am] grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!”
Does Sancho deserve a regular place in the Manchester United first team?
Currently, it is difficult to say – and Sancho’s recent social media outburst does not make it any easier. For all of Sancho’s many talents, he does not look like a player who is well suited to the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.
While Sancho is a superlative dribbler and is very creative, he lacks physicality and explosive pace. As such, his effectiveness is somewhat limited in a division such as the Premier League.
The player ahead of him in the pecking order, Marcus Rashford, has both of these attributes in spades. Currently, arguing for Sancho to take Rashford’s place in the starting XI is an uphill battle at best.
He could, however, take the place of Antony on the right wing. While he is naturally right-footed, he is very ambidextrous – something Antony is not. Many have accused the Brazilian of being one-dimensional, so adding Sancho into the mix on occasion would make United much harder to predict and prepare for.