Erik ten Hag’s Treatment of Jadon Sancho Divides Opinion at Manchester United

Manchester United are confident that Erik ten Hag’s treatment of Jadon Sancho has not broken any FIFA rules, according to reports. Sancho has been practically banished from United by Ten Hag following their public fallout at the beginning of September.

The manager said that the player’s performance levels in training were not up to scratch, only for the 23-year-old to hit back in a now-deleted social media post, where he insisted that the claim’s were ‘untrue’ and that he had been made a ‘scapegoat’.

Following this, the winger was made to train alone with United’s fitness staff, but it has since transpired that he has also been barred from using all of the club’s first-team facilities. This includes the team’s dining room and he is being forced to eat his meals with the club’s academy players.

FIFA Regulations

The Mirror reports that under FIFA regulations, a club getting a player to train on their own may be found to have engaged in ‘abusive conduct’. United are obligated to provide a sufficient standard of training and physical fitness for all their players, and it has been suggested that the extent of Ten Hag’s treatment of Sancho may be violating employment law.

However, the report also claims that the Red Devils are fairly confident that there has been no wrong-doing in this case, especially given that they have assigned dedicated fitness coaches to work with the England international so that his level of training meets the required standard.

Resolution

At the time of writing, a resolution to the whole debacle does not appear to be close, with several of Sancho’s teammates urging him to apologise to the manager, with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) offering to step in and help.

Ten Hag is also refusing to comment anymore on the matter, simply saying: ‘I don’t comment on players who are not available,’ when asked about Sancho after United’s Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

United host Palace again on Saturday in their next Premier League clash.

Conclusion

Erik ten Hag’s treatment of Jadon Sancho has divided opinion at Manchester United. While Ten Hag is adamant that Sancho’s performance levels have not been up to scratch, Sancho himself has denied this and has been made a ‘scapegoat’. The extent of Ten Hag’s treatment of Sancho may be violating employment law, but United are confident that there has been no wrong-doing in this case. A resolution to the whole debacle does not appear to be close, with several of Sancho’s teammates urging him to apologise to the manager and the PFA offering to step in and help. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.