Manchester United will be celebrating getting a deserved win after their wastefulness almost left them ruing their luck vs Fulham.
The 1-0 win courtesy of Joshua Zirkzee’s debut goal was a much-needed boost to the season that started on a positive note but threatened to unravel had they dropped points here.
There were three potential debutants in the squad and all of them took to the pitch to make it an all-around memorable night at Old Trafford.
Except for maybe one person…
Erik ten Hag reveals Jadon Sancho’s absence reason
When the teamsheet dropped, the selection was along expected lines but Jadon Sancho not even being on the bench was surprising.
After his cameo off the bench against Manchester City in the Community Shield final, it looked like his reintegration into the team was well and truly secured.
His Man United future remains open, but for the time being, he looked like he was back as an active member of the team.
Therefore, his absence from the squad raised many eyebrows and Ten Hag wasn’t even asked about it before the game.
After the win, Ten Hag revealed the reason for Sancho’s absence and it doesn’t bode well for his prospects at Old Trafford.
He said: “I can only put 20 players. Jadon had an ear infection in the week. He was not 100%. He could have played but I had to make choices.”
Unpacking Ten Hag’s words
Ten Hag said a lot in three lines all of which send a particular message. He starts out by making clear that some tough choices will be made this season if players remain fit so there should not be any issues in the group.
Secondly, he tries to mitigate the potential damage to Sancho’s confidence by mentioning that his ear infection left him at less than 100% which is why the choice to drop him this week was a sensible one to make.
However, by saying that he could have played but Ten Hag chose to not play him says all about Sancho’s current standing at the club.
He has been brought back into the fold but he faces an uphill fight to convince the manager of his value to the squad.
The forward did well on pre-season but didn’t set the world alight, especially not enough to be picked over the likes of Amad and Garnacho.
Antony was on the bench ahead of him for this game so the next game will be interesting to see whether he returns to the bench or not.
There will likely be no mitigating factors for that one so if he fails to make the squad again, the voice his absence will make will grow louder.
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