Siddharth Juyal
Manchester United omit Jadon Sancho from the squad photos for the current season
Manchester United have left Jadon Sancho out of the squad picture taken for the current season. The Red Devils have set a tradition since the 2014-15 season to take squad photos at their Carrington training Complex.
The 23-year-old had a fallout with the United boss Erik ten Hag earlier in the season that has only escalated. Ten Hag criticized Sancho’s performance in training after the United’s 3-1 loss against Arsenal at Emirates earlier this season.
The England international responded immediately to the criticism by accusing the manager of lying and using him as a “scapegoat”. The Red Devils banned the 23-year-old from using any first-team facilities at the club until he apologizes to the manager. Sancho has refused to issue any apology with the clear indication that he was within his rights to defend himself.
Manchester Evening News reports that United outcast Sancho was missing from the photo shoot as the whole team assembled together. The disconcerted development puts further question into Ten Hag’s man-management style as the drama continues to bring bad public depiction.
This is not the first public fallout that involves Ten Hag as last season similar thing happened with Cristiano Ronaldo. The United icon gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan where he voiced his displeasure towards the Dutchman. Ronaldo openly declared that he has “no respect” for Ten Hag just like the Dutchman has no respect for him. United terminated the contract of the Portuguese legend with mutual consent.
Daily Mail reported that Ten Hag received no permission from United to go public with Sancho’s mental health last season. The 53-year-old believed he was helping the player by showing support to him.
Several fans and pundits have criticized Ten Hag’s inability to deal with discontent players with more respect and privacy. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had a fallout with Joao Cancelo recently yet no continuous drama took place. City shipped Cancelo off swiftly without any public disarray or unwanted attention from the media. Likewise, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dealt with Mamadou Sakho instead of publicly berating the Frenchman or ostracizing him.
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We think Ten Hag is not doing himself any favours by orchestrating situations that are bringing attention to Sancho’s situation. The Dutchman could have easily dealt with the problem privately like other top managers. However, the Red Devils will face more unnecessary distractions as the club football action returns during the weekend. We can only speculate where Sancho will end during January but his stay seems very unlikely.
