Jadon Sancho was left out of the Manchester United squad against Fulham partly due to an ear infection.
Sancho appeared in the Community Shield against Man City in what was his first competitive appearance for United in almost a year.
However, he was absent from tonight’s 1-0 win as Joshua Zirkzee marked his debut with a goal after coming off the bench.
After being frozen out of the squad last season following a public falling out with Ten Hag, Sancho has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
In a post-match interview, Ten Hag addressed the situation and clarified Sancho was fit enough to be included but he opted to name Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee and Antony as the attacking substitutes. At least the manager has options now.
“First of all, we need squad depth,” Ten Hag said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “This season is the survival of the fittest but I can only put 20 players in the squad, I have to make choices.
“And Jadon in the week had an ear infection and was not 100% fit for this. He could play but if you can make choices, I made the choice that we preferred other players on the bench.
“That can change and will definitely change in the season where we have to rotate because we can’t play every game with the same. You see today how important subs are, we need the right bench and the right balance.
“Sometimes it is frustrating for the player but it’s about the team, it’s about the club, there will be more players in this position but we expect them to fight for the club. We have so many games to play, everyone will have their minutes and then they have to prove it.”
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