Manchester United have been warned they’re at risk of ‘mentally damaging’ Jadon Sancho after forcing him to train away from the rest of the first-team.
In a 21-word statement released on Thursday, the Red Devils confirmed that Sancho would be training away from the rest of the squad due to an ongoing ‘discipline issue.’
The statement follows a public feud between the 23-year-old and Erik ten Hag, in which Sancho openly denied his manager's comments claiming that he was left out of the matchday squad for their game against Arsenal due to his poor performance in training.
Sancho returned to Carrington this week and has since deleted his statement hitting out at Ten Hag, with the pair thought to have sat down to discuss the issues. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Sancho refused to apologise to the Dutchman.
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However, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara has defended Sancho and slammed United for their "disgusting" treatment of the winger.
“I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing to him,” O’Hara told talkSPORT.
“I know he’s come out and made a statement, whether that was the right thing to do or not… but was it right of Ten Hag to dig him out when he wasn’t even involved with the group?
“We all know Jadon Sancho needs to be better on the football pitch. And how he does that is getting him back playing football, getting him training and enjoying his football.
“What they’re doing to him right now is never going to get Jadon Sancho back to his best. All you’re going to do is mentally damage the football player and make him feel worse than he already does.
O'Hara went through a similar experience whilst playing for Wolves, admitting it made him "depressed".
“I had it at Wolves," he continued. "It is the worst feeling ever. You get ostracised from the group, you get made to feel that you’re not wanted, like you mean nothing to anyone and it is depressing.
“It made me depressed going through it and I’m sure Jadon Sancho is struggling right now, he’s already had mental health issues.
O'Hara added: “If Manchester United can come out and say they’re mental health ambassadors and they do all this stuff about mental health around their group and community and then do that to their own player, they should be ashamed of themselves.
“They shouldn’t be doing that in this day and age… we all know it’s gone on in the past but you can’t do it anymore, especially to a young player who’s already been through mental health struggles.”
Sancho previously spent time away from the squad on an individual training programme in the Netherlands to focus on his mental health.
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Topics: Manchester United, Jadon Sancho, Football, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag
Joe Adams