Siddharth Juyal
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag questioned for his ability to deal with mental health issues amidst Jadon Sancho spat
Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler wrote an opinion piece in the Mirror, questioning the way Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has handled the situation revolving around Jadon Sancho.
Ten Hag explained Sancho’s exclusion from matchday squad against Arsenal was due to poor training performances.
Sancho instantly retaliated through social media platform, X, by claiming he has been “made a scapegoat for a long time”.
Fowler believed the situation could have been handled better by the United manager. As the former England forward wrote:
“There are two things that every football club must take into account these days, if they are to do things properly. One is the mental health and wellbeing of players, which is a huge issue in football, and needs serious consideration.
I don’t think the comments, responses and counter briefing that clearly went on fit into a modern approach to wellbeing for athletes. And that brings me to the second point. And that brings me to the second point. We are living in a different world now, where everyone has a voice. Even when I was playing, there were very few outlets where a player could respond to criticism of him. Now, everyone has a voice, because social media is omnipresent.”
The Liverpool legend further explained his stance by stating that the managers have to discipline the squad. There are club rules and regulation that every player need to follow. However, all of the actions are taken place behind the scenes and away from public eyes.
Fowler claimed that Sancho only corrected what he believed was inaccurate about him while further imposing the need to safeguard the mental health and well-being of the players.
Ten Hag gave Sancho a 3 months break last season to work on his physical and mental health so he is aware of the vulnerable mental aspect of the player. The public spat came as a shock to many fans and pundits alike.
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We hope that the club resolves the situation swiftly and shifts the focus back to football. Rest assured, we take Jadon Sancho’s mental health seriously.
