There is never a dull moment when it comes to Manchester United. And even when there is, you can always trust there to be some drama around the next corner. Mybettingsites had the pleasure of catching up with former United defender Paul Parker who reveals his thoughts on the situation with Jadon Sancho.
Sancho Has Failed To Prove Himself
Following the disappointing 3-1 loss to Arsenal at The Emirates on Sunday, manager Erik ten Hag was asked about the curious decision to drop winger Jadon Sancho from the matchday squad. It was a noticeable absence and ten Hag was brutally honest when giving his reasoning. “On his performance in training we didn’t select him. You have to reach the level every day at Manchester United” said the Dutchman. However, Sancho was quick to retort via social media. Parker is critical of both Sancho’s actions as well as of his on-the-field performances which have flattered to deceive since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund two summers ago.
“I definitely don’t agree with Jadon Sancho. The best way to be a better person is to not talk out loudly and just do your things on the training ground. But not many players want to prove people wrong as it’s easier to go on Social Media or go to your agent and cry.”
“Jadon Sancho was brought in for a lot of money and he has never proved himself. I find what he did very weak and considering what Erik ten Hag has done for him it´s rubbish. The manager gave him a lot of time off and not a lot of managers would have done that.”
“He has been given a lot of football and a lot of managers would not have done that either with his performances. Today’s society is a bit weaker and Erik ten Hag didn’t say anything wrong.”
Since joining the club as the manager last summer ten Hag has established a reputation for being a disciplinarian. Issues with players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo all of which were handled swiftly by ten Hag. Considering the way things ended for Ronaldo, Parker is dubious about Sancho’s long term future at United.
Sancho Is Being As Petulant As Ronaldo
“We know that Sancho hasn’t performed and if it has been the same on the training ground recently, how could Erik ten Hag ever justify playing with him? All the other players would look at him and say, wait a minute, why is he playing?”
“Erik ten Hag handled it well with Rashford, Garnacho and of course Ronaldo. Now he is dealing with another player who is acting petulant. Rashford and Garnacho dealt with it and moved on, Ronaldo didn´t. I think that tells us a lot about Jadon Sancho´s future.”
“Erik ten Hag was asked a question and he told the truth. Does the media want him to be a liar? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Real Manchester United Fans Will Back ten Hag
Since the fallout on social media on Sunday evening there has been a large divide amongst football and United fans debating who out of ten Hag and Sancho is in the wrong. Some feel ten Hag should have handled the situation internally. Others feel ten Hag has preferential treatment for winger Antony who he signed from Ajax for over £80M last summer. And then there are those who feel Sancho would have been smarter to prove ten Hag wrong through his actions on the training pitch. Parker argues any ‘real’ Manchester United fans will be siding with ten Hag in this particular instance.
“Erik ten Hag did an incredible job last season under some very hard circumstances. I believe that if anyone out on social media or anything wants him sacked, they are not real fans.”
“He has done unbelievable things. It was almost impossible for him to build on that because of the quality of the squad. Now, Man United have brought in some players and all of them are players that Erik ten Hag wanted, which will make it very difficult for some of the players that might lose their spot in the starting XI now.”
“Real supporters know that a club needs continuity and consistency to beat the best teams in the country and that’s right he should stay.”
Manchester United Have A Lot Of Problems
Lastly, Parker has huge critiques of both Manchester United’s ownership citation which has dragged into this season as well as the way pre-season’s have changed over the years. Whilst they are used to help players build their fitness ahead of the new season, clubs are well aware of the commercial value pre-season brings and Parker is not a fan.
“But Man United does have problems as a club and that’s due to a lot of the players in the squad not being good enough and then the ownership situation that will constantly be a kind of disturbance for the manager and the players.”
“The real problem here at the start of the season is the useless pre-season the club has been through but that doesn’t only apply to Man United. Pre-seasons are useless and needless these days because it’s all about PR and promoting the clubs in other countries, which is why they are playing in other continents. All of a sudden they are playing Arsenal in America and they don’t want to give anything away and that’s where the matches get useless.”
Can ten Hag Drag United To Glory?
United are way off the pace when it comes to winning the title. Gone are the days when they were the team to beat. They currently sit at 33/1 on most betting sites, with City the obvious choice at 4/9. Arsenal are 7/1 on a lot, which are decent odds for team that finished second last season.
