Ten Hag call questioned as director says Bayern wanted Manchester United player

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Former Dortmund chief Sven Mislintat has criticised Erik ten Hag’s handling of the Jadon Sancho situation at Premier League giants Manchester United while labelling his Bundesliga return ‘a no-brainer’.

In truth, the sidelining of Jadon Sancho at Old Trafford had not so much to do with ability – though it’s fair to say the England international didn’t showcase his talents with too much regularity at Manchester United – and more to do with ‘attitude’.

By Erik ten Hag’s own admission, Sancho’s omission from that Arsenal clash in September, a statement which lit the fuse for an explosive end to their relationship, was the result of some less-than-impressive performances on the training pitch.

And while the United boss has come in for plenty of criticism after refusing to back down – demanding an apology which never came – lest we forget that this is a club who have let their standards slip on and off the pitch in recent years.

‘Standards’, of course, is Ten Hag’s favourite buzzword. And even his biggest admirers would have to admit that Sancho often fell short of the ‘standards’ required of a Manchester United player, regardless of how technically gifted he may be.

Manchester United send Jadon Sancho back to Dortmund

“Jadon Sancho was the last transfer that (former sporting director) Michael Zorc and I made together,” Mislintat tells Sky Deutschland, key to the winger’s arrival from Man City in 2017.

“On the one hand, he is a sensational guy and has a good heart. And, on the other hand, he is an absolute difference-maker in the Bundesliga. If you have access to a player like that and your budget allows it, it’s a no-brainer.

“I’m a bit negatively surprised that Erik ten Hag wasn’t able to get the best out of him, because Manchester United would have benefited from this quality too.” 

Sancho returned for a second spell at Dortmund this month, joining the German giants on loan. He’s made a bright start too, setting up Marco Reus vs Darmstadt and winning a penalty at Koln, even if his sudden return to form probably says less about Sancho and more about the gulf in quality between the Premier League and the Bundesliga.

An assist on his second BVB bow

“I’m glad he’s back at BVB,” adds Mislintat, who has also had spells as at Arsenal, Stuttgart and Ajax since leaving Signal Iduna Park.

“When it came to the transfer (seven years ago), we had trustworthy discussions with him, his family and his agent right from the start. A great story, even though we had tough competition. FC Bayern (Munich) tried with maximum effort to intervene relatively late on deadline day.

“But Jadon, and this shows his quality, didn’t think about it for a second and kept his commitment.”

Man United will likely look to bring in a replacement should Sancho leave permanently in the summer. One potential option – Club Brugge’s Antonio Nusa – is now in talks to join Tottenham Hotspur instead however.