Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag did his due diligence of having talks with every member of his squad ahead of next season and is said to have thrown the gauntlet at Jadon Sancho to ‘prove he can be a key figure’.
It’s no secret Sancho has had difficulty coping with both fitness and form since making a sensational £72.9m move from Borussia Dortmund two years ago and has now held crunch talks with manager Erik ten Hag about his future.
Having managed just seven goals and three assists in 41 appearances across all competitions this season, Sancho did not take part in United’s training camp in Spain after having not made England’s squad for the World Cup tournament and missed a huge chunk of action. Instead, Ten Hag sent him to the Netherlands for an individual training program in a bid to help the winger overcome ‘physical and mental’ issues.
“In this moment he is not fit enough,” Ten Hag said back then in January.
“It’s physical, but physical is also the connection with mental. But I think he is now making good progress on the physical part and that will help him. I hope he can return quickly but I can’t say a duration of how long it will be.”
Sancho promptly was ushered back into action in February and immediately showed signs of improvement, with four of his seven goals and two of his three assists coming after his trip to the Netherlands.
Regardless, the Sun report that the United boss has conducted one-to-one sessions with every member of his squad following the conclusion of his first season in charge. Apparently, in his meeting with Sancho, he allegedly told the winger he ‘must prove he can be a key figure’ in his long-term Old Trafford project. More significantly, the report quotes a source as saying: “He [Ten Hag] believes that they can actually challenge for the title next season and win at least one major honor.”
Taking some time to reflect on his managerial proclivity at United, Ten Hag recently told the Times: “As a manager you have to make the culture that everyone’s accepted, that everyone’s different. In the end when we go on the pitch, we have to show unity.
“After Sir Alex left, the culture changed over the years. One of the biggest qualities Sir Alex had was to have high standards. I wanted to bring it back in, so that everyone in this organisation lives the highest standards and the football players too.
“I talk to Sir Alex regularly. He gives his opinion and I’m happy to have that opinion. With all his experiences and his intelligence it’s really valuable to talk with him. From Sir Alex, I learn a lot because he’s such a legend. It gives me inspiration, how to manage.”