Former Manchester United player Ralf Rangnick and Borussia Dortmund manager Hans-Joachim Watzke defended Jadon Sancho, insisting the winger has “no discipline problems”.
Sancho signed on loan from Dortmund this month, less than three years after leaving the club to join United in an excellent £73m deal. The 23-year-old struggled to make a big impact at Old Trafford and was exiled from the first team by manager Erik ten Hag following a public feud in September.
After Sancho was left out of United’s squad in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, Ten Hag said it was due to the player’s “performance in training”. However, Sancho responded with a message on social media in which he claimed that Ten Hag’s comments were “completely false” and that he had become a “scapegoat”.
United later released a statement revealing Sancho would be training away from the first team “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue”, with the Dutchman claiming he was left with no choice but to take a tough stance.
However, despite Sancho’s upheavals under Ten Hag, Rangnick and Watzke gave him a vote of confidence in the primaries. Rangnick coached Sancho for part of a season after taking over as United’s interim manager when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in 2021 and the Austrian said there were no disturbances with the striker.
“He had his most productive moment in Dortmund and, when he was healthy, he played for me,” Rangnick told Sky Germany. “However, he wasn’t as carefree as he was in Dortmund. But that was also due to the general situation. “situation.
“When he had compatibility, he had compatibility, and he did well with me. I didn’t have a chance in Manchester. Now I want to get back into the rhythm and have compatibility in Dortmund. From his point of view, replacement makes a lot more sense.
“In the six months I had him, there wasn’t a single discipline problem. On the contrary. He is a calm and pleasant guy.” And Watzke, who has been Dortmund’s CEO since 2005, has echoed Rangnick’s comments.
“Jadon doesn’t have any challenges in the discipline,” Watzke told Sky Germany. “I don’t know who came up with that. Jadon only has one challenge, he’s late from time to time. Their internal clock is not very developed.
“[Sancho is] a great boy, but from time to time he was late. But you have to deal with that. Why are you going to the stadium?We don’t pass because everyone arrives on time. I need to see how he gets the ball.
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