Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Erik ten Hag collision course as Jadon Sancho could cause Man Utd row

Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Erik ten Hag collision course as Jadon Sancho could cause Man Utd row

Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest men, believes it is folly for a £70million asset to be frozen out of the team – especially when United are striving to get their season on track

New Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will put himself on a collision course with manager Erik ten Hag if he tries to force the Dutchman to make his peace with Jadon Sancho.

There have been reports that Ratcliffe will order Ten Hag to take steps to heal his rift with the England international once his £1.4billion deal to buy a 25 percent stake in the Old Trafford club has been sealed. Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest men, believes it is folly for a £70million asset to be frozen out of the team – especially when United are striving to get their season on track after a miserable start to the campaign.

Ratcliffe’s agreement with the Glazer family is that he will take charge of football operations. But while Ten Hag feels he can work successfully with Ratcliffe’s INEOS team, he will not be dictated to when it comes to having his authority challenged in the dressing room.

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Publicly the Dutchman is sticking by his stance that Sancho will be welcomed back into the first-team fold once he makes a public apology for questioning his honesty. But he remains adamant that the player must show genuine remorse by making the first move.

Ten Hag would prefer the 23-year-old to find another club – ideally during the January transfer window. A source close to the United boss said: “Ten Hag does not accept challenges to his authority from players. His position at United may not be as strong as it was after his first season in Manchester.

Sancho has been frozen out of United by Ten Hag
Sancho has been frozen out of United by Ten Hag(Getty Images)
“But there could be a problem if his ability to decide how to handle players in his squad is questioned by other people at the club. Ten Hag showed with his treatment of Noa Lang at Ajax that he will not tolerate indiscipline from his players.”

Lang, rated as one of Holland’s most promising players, was sold to Belgian club Brugge after failing to listen to Ten Hag’s instructions during a Dutch Cup tie. Sancho has been banished since taking to social media to question Ten Hag after the United boss explained his decision to leave the player out of the squad for the trip to Arsenal in September was due to a lack of application in training. He is not even allowed in the first-team canteen while the stand-off continues.

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