In the first press conference following the international break, Erik ten Hag was of course going to be asked about the widely-covered issues with Jadon Sancho.
A stress-free break was one thing Manchester United needed after their start to the season; performances aside, the Mason Greenwood saga brought enormous amounts of toxicity into the club and across the fanbase.
However, the issues surrounding United only grew over the past fortnight. Antony will be taking a period of absence while he addresses abuse and assault allegations from three separate women, while Sancho published a strongly-worded statement in response to Ten Hag’s criticism, in which he deemed himself a scapegoat and accused the manager of spreading lies.
The 23-year-old, who has refused to apologise, will now be training away from the first-team until the disciplinary matter is resolved.
Ten Hag’s response to Sancho feud
Ten Hag broke his silence on the matter today and as expected, he kept tight-lipped.
“Everything is set. The squad is strong, [in] good spirits, good mood to go into the game,” he said.
After being further quizzed on how the team are so positive amid such public issues, the Dutchman added: “They are very good. Sometimes you have setbacks in seasons; players are injured or other reasons, they’re not available and therefore, you construct a squad. The squad is very good. Players who are available are very motivated to give a good performance.”
🗣️ "The squad is in good spirit, good mood to go into the game."
Erik ten Hag when asked about the situation with Jadon Sancho 🔴 pic.twitter.com/SiBowADF6H
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 15, 2023
Footage courtesy of Football Daily.
