By Yusuf Mutiu
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag refuses to comment on Jadon Sancho’s unavailability in yesterday’s EFL cup win over Burnley.
It was revealed last month that Sancho was training in the Netherlands – after missing out on a spot in England’s world cup squad – with coaches recommended by Tenen Hag to enable him to return back to the form that made Man United fork out £77million on him from Borussia Dortmund 18 months ago. The ex-Dortmund attacker has failed to replicate the hot form he was in back in Germany, where he scored 38 goals and notched 51 assists in 104 Bundesliga games.
Speaking with the newsmen before the 2-0 win against Burnley on Wednesday, Ten Hag gave a blunt response when asked about the 22-year-old. He said, “No”. Ten Hag revealed last week that Sancho was not right “physically and mentally” and wasn’t ready to return to the squad.
Speaking last week, he said: ‘I don’t think he will be back this week, no. We want to bring him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.
“Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. We got a drop in quality level, and sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it.
“That is what we are doing now to try to get him back there. It is a combination of physically and mentally.”
The England winger enjoyed a pretty decent start to the 2022/23 season after he scored twice in his first five league games but failed to add to that tally prior to the mid-season break.
Last season, he also produced disappointing returns where he netted just three times and produced three assists in 29 appearances after his big-money move from the Bundesliga.
Sancho would be hoping to get back to his best in order to get a shout from his gaffer and have a hand in the remainder of matches for Man United as they hope to finish high in the league and hopefully end their 6 years of trophy drought dating back from the 2017/18 season.
