Gareth Southgate 'warned' Erik ten Hag over Jadon Sancho before Man Utd training row

Gareth Southgate limited Jadon Sancho’s England game-time because of his performances in training, a journalist has claimed.

Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus fired Arsenal to a dramatic 3-1 stoppage-time victory against United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

However, Sancho did not travel to for the game, with Ten Hag claiming in his post-match press conference that the winger had not reached the "level" required to be included.

Sancho subsequently took to X, formally known as Twitter, stressing that he had been "a scapegoat for a long time”.

"Please don't believe everything you read," Sancho wrote.

"I will not allow people saying things that are completely untrue, I have conducted myself very well in training this week.

"I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into, I've been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair!"

In the wake of the public spat, Manchester Evening News reporter Sam Luckhurst noted that England boss Southgate had also restricted Sancho’s game-time for his poor performances in training.

Writing on X Luckhurst said: “Sancho's playing time at Euro 2020 was limited until the quarter-finals due to training form. Southgate confirmed that and said there was an improvement after Sancho's move to United was agreed.

“Sancho entitled to feel aggrieved by Ten Hag persisting with Antony, who's been dreadful, and Martial starting ahead of him. But it's a dire state at #mufc that players are emboldened to publicly call out the manager. Sancho's not been 'scapegoated'.”

Sancho moved to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund for £73million in 2021, after a hugely successful stint in Germany.

However, the 23-year-old has since struggled for consistent form, netting just nine league goals and providing just six assists in his 58 appearances.

Explaining his decision not to pick Sancho for his squad to face Arsenal, Ten Hag said: "Jadon, on his performances in training we did not select him.

"You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line. So for this game, he was not selected."

In response, Sancho insisted he would continue to fight for his place at the club, adding: "All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team.

"I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and grateful to do so, which I know every week is a challenge.

"I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what."

Topics: Football, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Manchester United, Jadon Sancho, England, Gareth Southgate

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.