Man Utd need urgent Jadon Sancho resolution as diabolical Antony stats fail to justify Ten Hag stance
Underperformers Jadon Sancho and Antony alongside the Manchester United badge
Jadon Sancho is one of the Manchester United players that is unhappy with “favouritism” being shown by Erik ten Hag, as the winger feels Antony is being treated better despite underperforming.
Manchester United are not having the greatest of campaigns on the pitch with the team sitting 10th in the Premier League table after eight games. The situation off the pitch is also a reflection of things on it with multiple disputes going on behind the scenes.
Ten Hag has had to face numerous issues with some of his players complicating life for him at Old Trafford beyond what he would have imagined when taking up the post. The accusations and suspension of Mason Greenwood followed by more scandal involving Antony and a public fallout with Jadon Sancho have all landed at the feet of the manager.
It is the disagreement with Sancho that is taking up most of the headlines. However, there is a lot more going on beneath the surface than meets the eye with a few players upset by “favouritism’” by their manager, TEAMtalk understands.
One of the main gripes of Sancho is the willingness of Ten Hag to choose Antony over him despite the Brazilian struggling to live up to his price tag since arriving from Ajax. He is not alone in that according to sources close at Manchester United.
Several players are fed up with being neglected by their boss for players they consider to be “part of his circle” and therefore they feel they have no chance to play no matter how hard or well they perform in training.
Antony has made five appearances in the Premier League for United this season but has not registered a single goal or assist. He has also played once in the Champions League for the club this season, however that was only a five-minute cameo.
The 23-year-old recently hit the benchmark of 50 appearances for the Red Devils and has scored eight times and landed three assists over that period. Those numbers are not enough for his continuous inclusion in the eyes of some of the squad at United and has caused unrest among some, according to sources.
It’s this belief within some of the squad that insiders say has caused some players to drop their efforts because they feel there is no chance of selection due to favouritism within the management.
Sancho and Antony both underperforming
Sancho has yet to apologise for the recent tweet in which he called out his manager’s criticism of his training performances and he also stated there is more going on than meets the eye – some are suggesting that the United manager’s selection may be one of those things.
Antony arrived last summer for £86 million and although it’s harsh to judge a player on their price tag in an over-inflated world of football, it’s clear that he has a lot of work to convince he is worth that amount.
In turn, however, Sancho cost United £73 million in the summer of 2021 and has also not reached the heights expected when he arrived from Dortmund.
No matter the situation off the pitch, the club need to find resolutions quickly as they drift further away from the big boys in the league and the chance to qualify for next season Champions League is going with it.
