By Sean Walsh
Jadon Sancho became so frustrated at being played on the right wing he went as far as to telling Erik ten Hag that Manchester United 'bought the wrong player', according to a report.
Ten Hag exiled Sancho from United's first-team setup in September 2023. The Dutch manager claimed he dropped the winger from their matchday squad to face Arsenal due to poor performances in training, only for Sancho to hit back at these comments on social media and then refuse to apologise.
The Athletic claim Ten Hag was eager to explain his point-of-view to Sancho in the days after the outburst, while he set up another meeting for his player to say sorry. However, Sancho stood firm and was axed from the senior side, later rejoining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January.
But Ten Hag's patience with Sancho is said to have been thin from the start of his reign in the Old Trafford dugout. The report adds that Sancho was exasperated at continually playing on the right wing instead of the left, and after United's 4-0 hammering at Brentford in August 2022 \- Ten Hag's second game in charge - he told his manager the club 'bought the wrong player'.
This comment from Sancho, in part, drove Ten Hag and United's decision to sign Antony from Ajax in the final days of that transfer window. However, United staff took note at Sancho's fine performances from the right for Dortmund during this season's run to the Champions League final.
Though he has been seen from the outside as a favourite of Ten Hag's due to his consistent appearances and previous relationship at Ajax, Antony too has felt the wrath of the Dutchman this season.
Ten Hag 'ripped into' Antony in the dressing room when he was asked to play at left-back late on in their 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, while he also received part of the blame for their stunning collapse in a 4-3 defeat at Chelsea having failed to pick up Cole Palmer for the deciding corner of the game.
After cycling through Sancho and Antony, Ten Hag eventually settled on playing Alejandro Garnacho on the right flank for much of the 2023/24 season.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Jadon Sancho told Erik ten Hag that Man Utd 'bought the wrong player' in row over role.
