Erik ten Hag was asked about Dan Gore and his response was a cutting message to Jadon Sancho

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is clear about what he expects from his players, hard work every single day.

Erik ten Hag arrived at Manchester United with a reputation for handing chances to young players, he gave 23 debuts to Ajax academy players at his former club.

At Manchester United, aside from an early debut to Charlie McNeill in early 2022, since then he has only handed competitive debuts to two youngsters.

Kobbie Mainoo, and last night followed by Dan Gore. Others have been in the mix, featuring in pre-season, but Ten Hag is only now going to call players up when he believes they can contribute in a meaningful way, and there is a very high bar at Manchester United.

Dan Gore debut

Dan Gore made his debut as a second half substitute in Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace.

He got substantial game time too, playing 30 minutes as a replacement for the impressive Sofyan Amrabat.

It came on Gore’s 19th birthday. However, Ten Hag was very keen to shut down the suggestion the debut was in any way a ‘gift’ for the teenager. Instead it was fully deserved, and he warned him to keep working.

Erik ten Hag verdict

Speaking to MUTV post-game, Ten Hag said: “It’s a good birthday for him, but I’m not a coach who gives opportunities to players [for no reason], they have to earn it. Once they earn it, they have their chance.

“They have to earn it every day in training. I don’t hand opportunities to young players. They must consistently prove their worth in training because if they don’t, it can affect the team.

“We are very critical. They have to deserve it every day in training. And when the standards are too low, they will hurt from us and we don’t play them because they have to train every day to the maximum.”

A message to Sancho

There is a very cutting message to Jadon Sancho in there. The manager’s demands for young players are no different to first team players. Every player must prove their worth every single day. If the level drops, there will be consequences. It was the same way Sir Alex Ferguson used to operate.

Ten Hag left Sancho out of the team at the start of the month because he felt the winger’s levels in training were not to his required standard.

While Sancho has since disputed this, the manager’s decision is final. As he points out, if players do not meet his expectations, then it can bring the whole level of the entire team down.

Ten Hag is drilling his message into the squad. Most players will get on board. Some, like Sancho, will fall by the wayside if they can’t keep up with his demands.