Ten Hag on Sancho's Exclusion and Club Standards at Manchester United

 Ten Hag on Sancho's Exclusion and Club Standards at Manchester United

Ten Hag on Sancho's Exclusion and Club Standards at Manchester United(Image-Getty)

On Friday, Manchester United's manager, Erik ten Hag, refrained from directly addressing questions regarding Jadon Sancho's recent exclusion from the first-team due to a disciplinary issue. Instead, he emphasized his responsibility in setting high standards for the Premier League club.

Sancho was notably absent from the squad during United's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on September 3rd, with Ten Hag initially attributing his absence to subpar training performances.

After the match, the 23-year-old winger responded to Ten Hag's remarks in a lengthy social media post on X (formerly known as Twitter), claiming he had been unfairly made a "scapegoat." However, this post has since been deleted.

In response to the situation, United announced on Thursday that Sancho would undergo separate training sessions until the matter is resolved.

Ten Hag, addressing reporters ahead of the upcoming match against Brighton & Hove Albion, acknowledged the need to manage different personalities within the team while emphasizing that the team's welfare takes precedence.

"The club asked me to implement strict standards because there was no solid culture before last season. I had to establish these high standards," he stated. Ten Hag further emphasized that the enforcement of such standards was not solely based on one mistake but rather part of a broader process aimed at maintaining discipline within the club.

Furthermore, Manchester United is currently facing challenges with the absence of winger Antony, who declared earlier this month that he would not immediately return to the club due to assault allegations against him, which he has denied.

Regarding Antony's return, Ten Hag expressed uncertainty, saying, "No idea. He's disappointed but he's okay... Sometimes in a season, you encounter setbacks, such as injuries or other reasons for unavailability. However, we have a strong squad, and the available players are motivated to deliver strong performances," the Dutch manager added.

Ten Hag also defended Harry Maguire, who faced mockery from Scotland fans following his own goal in England's 3-1 victory at Hampden Park earlier in the week. Ten Hag called on the center back to respond to his critics with strong performances, noting Maguire's impressive career trajectory and emphasizing the need for respect.

Additionally, Ten Hag provided updates on the fitness of defenders Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof while confirming that Mason Mount and Raphael Varane would not be available for selection against Brighton.

As things stand, Manchester United occupies the 11th position in the Premier League standings, trailing sixth-placed Brighton by a margin of three points.