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The reasons why Jadon Sancho was dropped initially, and the reasons why he was then, and continues to be, excluded from the first-team squad, are different, though they have the same themes underpinning them.

Erik Ten Hag made the decision to drop the winger from the match-day squad for the Arsenal game because of a perceived issue with Sancho’s application in training.

The Dutchman voiced this reason in the post-match press conference, displaying a level of honesty many in British football are unaccustomed to. Ten Hag and his staff reportedly consider the ‘white lie’ approach to be “outdated and flawed.”

Sancho reacted furiously to this candid explanation with an emotional post on X (formerly known as Twitter). He inferred Ten Hag was lying about the reasoning and accused the Dutchman of both playing favourites and treating him like a “scapegoat.”

Sancho was, subsequently, made to train away from the first-team squad, and informed only a direct apology to Ten Hag would offer him a path back. No apology has been made in the nearly seven weeks since the incident.

It has now been revealed by a report in The Times that Ten Hag believes there was no element of malice or favouritism in his decision; other players simply trained better than Sancho the week prior to the Arsenal game.

Sources indicated to The Times that the commitment and hard work Dan Gore, Facundo Pellistri and Hannibal Mejbri demonstrated at Carrington left the Dutch manager with no doubt as to who deserved a place on the bench at the Emirates. These youngsters were described as having “busted a gut” on the training pitch.

An increase in work-rate has been a tenet throughout Ten Hag’s tenure at Old Trafford. He has spoken constantly in press conferences and interviews about his players needing to demonstrate the requisite desire and industry to wear the United shirt.

The Dutchman is also adamant he wants his side to become the “best transition team” in the world; an ambition which can only be achieved through hard yards. 

The praise he reserved for Mejbri after his performance against Burnley – which saw the Tunisian midfielder run further than any other player during Ten Hag’s time in Manchester – underscores the traits he is prioritising. They are not ones often associated with the lackadaisical Sancho.

Ten Hag is not alone in his negative assessment of the winger’s training ground practices either. Other staff “agreed” Sancho was not giving his all at Carrington, with issues over the 23-year-old’s application existing prior to his arrival at Old Trafford.

It’s even a view reportedly shared by other members of the United dressing room, who appear to be firmly on the side of their manager over the dispute.

There appears, therefore, to be no way back for Sancho at this stage.

Indeed, there seems little desire from either side for any level of meaningful recourse, with the winger expected to leave United on loan in January. He was even excluded from a recent first-team squad photo, underscoring his current position, or lack thereof, at the club.

It feels almost as if Ten Hag is content for Sancho to function as a sacrificial lamb; a clear indication of what happens to players who do not meet the most basic of requirements under his watch – hard work. It’s certainly a principle the industrious triumvirate of Gore, Pellistri and Mejbri have heeded.

Sancho isn’t a scapegoat, and by the look of things, this decision from Ten Hag was always going to be only a matter of time.