Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand suggests that Ten Hag’s critique of Sancho’s training performances is an attempt to elicit a reaction from the talented winger.
Ten Hag’s decision to leave Sancho out of the squad for United’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal raised eyebrows, and he publicly stated that the winger hadn’t displayed enough in training to earn a spot in the lineup. This statement triggered both a response from Sancho on social media, where he defended himself, and a public debate.
Sancho defended his performances and claimed he was being unfairly singled out. It appears that both player and manager are resolute in their positions, setting the stage for potential talks in the near future.
Questions have arisen about why Ten Hag chose to publicly criticize one of his players, especially after revealing last season that Sancho had been absent for an extended period due to ‘physical and mental’ reasons. Ferdinand believes this move is a final attempt to motivate a player who has yet to consistently shine in a Manchester United jersey.
“I think he [Ten Hag] is working out a way in which he can trigger his player to get a positive outcome on the pitch, to get a performance on the pitch and consistently get those performances,” Ferdinand commented on TNT Sports. “I think he’s trying different ways, and I think this is another way of him trying to get a reaction out of his player. All managers do it differently.”
This perspective aligns with the views of another former United player, Ryan Giggs, who sees Ten Hag’s public critique as a final effort to inspire Sancho to step up his game.
“For me, calling him out publicly is probably the last straw, or the last try, to get the best out of Sancho,” Giggs stated in an interview with the Webby & O’Neill YouTube channel. “The player can react and think, ‘Right, I’ll show him, and show the manager what I’m capable of,’ or he can sulk and probably won’t get anywhere.”
Despite late interest from Saudi Arabia, Sancho remains at Manchester United and is expected to stay at least until the January transfer window. The 23-year-old has demonstrated moments of brilliance and logged the most minutes during the preseason, indicating that he is still highly regarded by Ten Hag.
With many squad members away on international duty, it appears that both player and manager will need to come together for a candid discussion to resolve their differences in the best interest of the club.
“There’s going to have to be that conversation between manager and player because they’ve both spoken publicly,” Ferdinand emphasized. “It’s now about what the best thing is for Manchester United, what’s the best thing for Sancho, and what’s the best thing for the manager. They’ve got to decide that between themselves and have an open and honest conversation around a table. I think Ten Hag wants to get the player he knows is inside Sancho performing for United.
