Jadon Sancho has been training away from the Manchester United first team after he refused to apologize to manager Erik ten Hag, The Athletic revealing.
The 23-year-old will now work away from team-mates at United’s academy facilities as the club seek to resolve what they call “a squad disciplinary issue” following his public outburst. on social media after Arsenal’s Premier League game earlier. this month.
Sancho said he had been made “a scapegoat for a long time” after Ten Hag had previously admitted Sancho was left out of the matchday squad for the 3-1 defeat due to his performance in training.
The England international was later asked to apologize to the manager but refused to do so, which has now resulted in the club’s move.
United declined to comment when approached The Athletic.
Sancho has been effectively ruled out of first-team training and will not now be considered for selection, starting with Brighton & Hove Albion’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, until a resolution is reached.
A statement from the club on Thursday read: “Jadon Sancho will remain in a personal training program away from the first team, pending the resolution of a disciplinary issue with the team.”
Ten Hag said after the trip to the Emirates Stadium on September 3 that Sancho’s absence from the squad was his highlight of the week running into the game.
“Jadon was in his performance in training we didn’t pick him,” he said. “You have to reach the level every day at Manchester United, you can choose the forward line, so in this game he was not chosen.”
Sancho later responded on Twitter, saying: “Please don’t believe everything you read! I don’t let people say things that are completely untrue, I handled myself very well in training this week.
“I believe there is another reason for this matter that I will not discuss, I have been the unfair scapegoat for a long time!
“All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team. I respect all the decisions made by the coaching staff, I play with great players and I’m grateful to do this I know that every week is a challenge. I will keep fighting for this badge no matter what!”
United were open to selling Sancho to Saudi Arabia before their transfer window closed last week but the player refused to take part and instead flew to New York to rest.
Before the Arsenal game, Sancho featured in all three of United’s Premier League fixtures with his most recent appearance coming against Nottingham Forest on August 26.
Sancho joined United in an €85million deal from Borussia Dortmund in July 2021 and has since made 82 appearances for the club, scoring 12 times.
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