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Louis SealeyPublished Apr 24, 2024, 3:08pm|Updated Apr 24, 2024, 3:09pm
Erik ten Hag made a ‘big mistake’ when he let Jadon Sancho leave Manchester United earlier in the season, according to Mark Lawrenson.
England international Sancho was loaned out to his former club Borussia Dortmund in January after falling out with Ten Hag at the start of the season.
Sancho was frozen out by the Old Trafford boss after refusing to apologise for his social media response to Ten Hag claiming he was underperforming in training.
Manchester United spent over £70m to sign Sancho from Dortmund in 2021 but the 24-year-old struggled across two seasons before falling out of favour this term.
Sancho has continued to underwhelm in the Bundesliga, scoring just two goals in 15 appearances for Dortmund, but Lawrenson nevertheless believes it was a ‘mistake’ for Ten Hag to sanction his exit.
‘Erik ten Hag letting Jadon Sancho go was a big mistake given the form of some of the Manchester United players – you can’t say he wouldn’t have done better than them,’ the Liverpool legend told Paddy Power.
‘It was a decision that ten Hag took, but they could have used Sancho for the second half of the season. He’s a talented player and would have been useful for them, so I think he made a mistake with letting him go to Germany.’
While Sancho has not set shone since returning to Dortmund, he has helped the German side reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, starting both legs of the quarter-final win over Atletico Madrid.
But ex-Manchester United striker Louis Saha has dismissed suggestions Sancho has ‘proved a point’ to the Old Trafford club with his performances in Europe.
‘I don’t believe he’s proving any point,’ Saha told Betfred. ‘The only point he’s proving is that he’s a talented player and if he wasn’t stubborn, he could have been doing what he’s doing for Borussia Dortmund for Manchester United now.
‘He hasn’t proven anything. There’s no doubt about his talent, but his attitude has been challenged during his time with Manchester United and the way he’s dealt with it has been to the risk of his own career.
‘Erik ten Hag knew he was missing the opportunity to play a good player and that’s it. It was a situation where the player, manager and club were all losing simultaneously.
‘It’s all about ego and the club has to stop allowing those things to happen because it’s just not right. All that’s been proven is that things like this shouldn’t be happening at such a big club.’
Borussia Dortmund are expected to approach Manchester United with an offer to sign Sancho on a permanent deal at the end of the season.
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