Ten Hag Backs Sancho’s Return to Manchester United
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has expressed confidence in Jadon Sancho’s potential to make a successful comeback following a public dispute between them last season.
Sancho, who played in a preseason friendly against Rangers on Saturday, made his first appearance for Manchester United since August. He spent the latter part of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, reaching the UEFA Champions League final, after publicly criticizing Ten Hag in a social media post.
After a meeting with Ten Hag earlier this month, Sancho has rejoined first-team training. “We had a good conversation,” Ten Hag told Dutch outlet AD Sportwereld before United’s 2-0 friendly win. “Everyone makes mistakes. If a player reflects properly, you move forward. This club needs talented players, and Jadon Sancho is undoubtedly one. I hope we will click and he will contribute to our success.”
Despite widespread speculation about his future, Ten Hag signed a new contract to remain Manchester United’s manager this summer. The former Ajax boss took over at Old Trafford in 2022 from interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who had said the club needed “open-heart” surgery to reclaim its former glory.
“Rangnick was absolutely right,” Ten Hag added. “We’ve been working hard on this for two years. It’s a thorough, very complex operation. I knew from the start that it would be a tough job.”
The organizational structure around Ten Hag has significantly changed with the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a minority owner. Ten Hag praised the early collaboration with new sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox, and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell as “very good.”
This summer, Manchester United signed teenage French defender Leny Yoro for an initial fee of €62 million ($67.6m) and Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee for over €40 million ($43m) from Bologna. The club is also reportedly interested in defenders Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, sources told ESPN.
“I won’t specifically comment on whether we will sign those two players,” Ten Hag said. “It remains to be seen if De Ligt will join. I know Matthijs well, and I won’t deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago, but he was already set to join Bayern Munich. However, his name didn’t come from me in the current process.”
