It was unexpected to see Hannibal Mejbri and Dane Gore, two academy players, starting on Manchester United’s bench against Arsenal instead of Jadon Sancho.

After all, United lost on the road in the Premier League once more, and this time it exposed years of underfunding and bad hiring under the Glazers.

In order to secure the win, Arsenal used players like Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira, but United benched Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, demonstrating the disparity in skill between the two squads.

EA-Sancho conflict

When questioned about why the former Borussia Dortmund player was left off of the matchday squad after the game, Erik ten Hag responded that the winger’s performance in training did not justify a call-up.

Rather of absorbing the criticism as Marcus Rashford did in the previous season, Sancho took to social media right away to issue a statement accusing the manager of using him as a scapegoat and claiming that there were other factors at play.

Despite Antony’s patchy performances this season, the England international reportedly feels the manager gives him preferential treatment, according to The Daily Mail.

“Some close to the 23-year-old feel he hasn’t been given a fair shot at securing a spot in the first team, bringing up the fact that Antony receives preferential treatment on occasion despite his own struggles with consistency.”

It’s interesting to note that United insiders have refuted these reports, citing the fact that the manager gave Sancho the time and support he needed to recover both psychologically and physically during the previous season.

“United insiders reject this theory, however, believing that the Dutch boss believes Sancho has more to give.”

Although the Brazilian hasn’t exactly taken the English football scene by storm since his arrival, it’s still early in the season, so it’s not the right moment to assign blame—especially in light of Sancho’s own dismal performance.

Given that the player has only scored 12 goals in 82 games since his £73 million transfer back in July 2021, it seems clear that the Dutchman would demand more of him.

Sancho said ETH is giving Antony more opportunities.

He appears to be so lacking in confidence that he avoids 50-50 matches and constantly appears hesitant when he gets the ball. He appears to be the shadow of the man that United pursued for more than a season.

Rio Ferdinand, a star at United, had said that Ten Hag would not take kindly to such impudence and that the winger might even be sent to Saudi Arabia or made to warm the benches.

Ten Hag and the other player are “expected to hold clear-the-air talks” this week. This spat is the most recent player feud Ten Hag has had to deal with during his time at Old Trafford.

After holding conversations with Chelsea over a trade deal, The Peoples Person even stated that United was willing to approve his exit, suggesting that things are clearly not going well between the two.

Sancho is anticipated to stay at Carrington after not being called up to the England squad.