Man Utd legend orders Ten Hag to drop or sell mega-money flop to Saudi after social media outburst

Harry Watkinson
Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand speaks during his role as a BT Sport pundit.

Rio Ferdinand has said Jadon Sancho must be sold to a club in Saudi Arabia or face a season on the bench for Man Utd after being dropped by Erik ten Hag.

The winger was left out of the Red Devil’s squad for their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday due to his ‘training performance.’

“On his performance in training we didn’t select him,” said Ten Hag after the game. “You have to reach the level every day at Manchester United, you can make choices in the front line, so in this game he wasn’t selected.”

Sancho, however, believes that there are other reasons that explain his diminished role in the squad.

“Please don’t believe everything you read,” he wrote in a post on social media. “I will not allow people saying things that are completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week.

“I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!

“All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team. I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and am grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!”

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United legend Ferdinand felt the situation was telling for Sancho, though, and pointed out that the transfer window was still open in Saudi Arabia – suggesting it might be the 23-year-old’s only chance of regular football this season.

“There’s no way Jadon is putting out a statement like that if he hasn’t in his own eyes performed well,” Ferdinand said on his Rio Presents Five YouTube channel.

“That’s the difference as well. On his chart, Jadon [might think] – ‘I’ve trained alright’, but the manager might have a different standard.

“There’s two ways this ends. There’s only one window open now and that’s Saudi. Or you’re on the bench or not getting in the squad for the rest of the season.”

Sancho signed for Man Utd in 2021 from Borussia Dortmund for £73m. He has since made 82 appearances in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists.

This is in stark contrast to Sancho’s time in Germany when he scored 50 goals and made 64 assists in 137 appearances for Dortmund. At that time, he was considered to be one of the best wingers in the world.

With Sancho not even selected for the bench on Sunday, however, it’s clear that Ten Hag is not convinced by his abilities or application.

Therefore, a loan or permanent move to Saudi could be what he needs to play regular football again. The transfer window there closes on September 20.

If Sancho doesn’t leave, he could find it extremely difficult to break into the Man Utd starting XI again.

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