Jadon Sancho might find there is no way back at Manchester United after Erik ten Hag response

Erik ten Hag questioned the level of Jadon Sancho’s Man Utd training performances, but earned an incredible response in the form of a social media statement from the winger.

As Jason Sancho’s finger hovered over the send button, you wonder whether a second thought was given to what he was about to do and the potential ramifications that now lie ahead.

Just over an hour after Erik ten Hag had sat in the Emirates press room and said the £73million winger didn’t merit a place in his 20-man matchday squad because of his form in training, Sancho took to social media to offer a rebuke. It was astonishing stuff.

Sancho won’t need reminding of what happened to the last player who issued unauthorised comments questioning the integrity of his manager at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan might have been more incendiary, and more pre-planned, but United took action within days and the Portuguese star was always going to face disciplinary action. It ended with him leaving the club, an outcome that suited all parties.

That isn’t likely to be the case with Sancho just yet. His social media comments were clearly more impulsive and heartfelt than Ronaldo’s cascade of half-truths, which were designed to free him from a club where the manager had rightly decided he no longer fit.

In Sancho’s case, this should be the peak of his career. He is 23 years old, a £73m star back in the Premier League after taking the bold and brave step to move to Borussia Dortmund as a teenager. Let’s not forget he is a trendsetter for the increasing number of young English players moving abroad to get regular football.

But his move to United is rapidly falling apart. The flashes of the brilliance we saw in the Bundesliga have been rare and in 82 appearances there have been just 12 goals and six assists. He looks a shadow of the player the club thought they had signed.

That very point was put to Ten Hag when he sat down with the reporters who regularly cover United during the club’s US tour. He subscribed to the theory that the challenge was stepping up from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, but tellingly called for more consistency as well.

“The Bundesliga is perfect preparation for the Premier League,” said Ten Hag. “[The Premier League is] tougher.

“I think your vision is a little bit grey [also]. I saw many games at Dortmund and Jadon is not such a different player in Dortmund as he is here. But also for him, he has to get more consistency in his performance but he has to do it at a higher level.”

Ten Hag was protective of Sancho at that point, the end of July, but has clearly changed his approach just five weeks later. The breakdown in the relationship between manager and play is more surprising given it’s not long since Ten Hag’s handling of the winger was considered to have been shrewd and successful.

He was given time away from the squad last season to overcome “physical and mental” issues and didn’t play between October 22 and February 1, but when he did return there was a brief upturn in form and confidence. Ten Hag was widely praised for his handling of the player and his comments from early February on that decision are worth revisiting.

“It’s a personal thing and you don’t know in any head what is going on and I think you have to respect that,” said Ten Hag. “I support every player, I back every player where I can and I want to ensure that we have a good team spirit; ensure and encourage and motivate all the players to give their best.

“So I will push them and I will be there, and my coaches as well, if they have problems and we will help them to sort them out.”

In light of his honest appraisal on Sunday, “I back every player where I can” now looks an interesting comment. Clearly, Ten Hag feels he can no longer back Sancho.

For his part, you wonder whether Sancho will regret essentially calling his manager a liar with his social media post. His claim that he is used being as a “scapegoat” for something is remarkable. Clearly, there is more to this than meets the eye, but for a player who has underperformed for more than two years, the road back looks difficult.

United have options in forward areas, as Ten Hag said on Sunday, and Sancho looks to be towards the bottom of those at the moment. He has three years left on his contract but barring a drastic change in performances, an exit next year looks likely, presuming there is no desire to escape to Saudi Arabia over the next four days.

It is time for the player to take stock as well, however. He clearly feels wronged by Ten Hag’s public comments, but there were concerns over Sancho’s training level at times with England. He is a long, long way back from the international set-up at the moment.

What goes on in training might be shielded from public view, but what we can judge is performances in matches. In that regard, Sancho has been a long way short as well. On the left, on the right, or through the middle, he’s not yet lived up to his billing and after Sunday evening’s episode, it’s hard to see how he ever will.

Two days after a chaotic end to the transfer window, this was supposed to be the calm after the storm. Instead, some supporters reworked the famous Antonio Conte meme on social media. “One regular day of Manchester United. That’s all I ask for. Will never happen.”

This is a club that has made crisis an art form. They come in all shapes and sizes, often when you least expect them. United might have expected a quiet international break, until Sancho pressed the ‘send’ button that is.