Former Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy defended outcast Jadon Sancho and his behaviour in training during their shared tenure. Sancho has received numerous criticisms for his off-field behaviour and attitude in training during his controversial tenure at the club.
The 25-year-old had an infamous public spat with former manager Erik ten Hag at the start of the 2023-24 season. Sancho joined Borussia Dortmund during the latter half of that season after Ten Hag shunned him completely from the team.
The England international spent the last season on loan at rival Chelsea, helping them qualify for the Champions League competition. However, Chelsea failed to reach an agreement to permanently sign the 25-year-old this summer due to his unrealistic wage demand.
Benni McCarthy defended Jadon Sancho and his off-field image as his controversial tenure at Manchester United continues.
Benni McCarthy defended Jadon Sancho and his off-field image as his controversial tenure at Manchester United continues.
Chelsea decided to pay a £5m penalty, rather than spending up to £25m for the Englishman, despite the massive cut-price. After all, United signed Sancho from Dortmund for £73m in the summer of 2021 after his sensational rise in Germany.
We All Follow United recently covered how salary remains a big issue for United in their desire to sell Sancho. The 25-year-old’s greedy stance has received criticism from the fanbase, who are not happy with the highly frustrating transfer situation.
Speaking to betonlinepromocodes.com, McCarthy defended Sancho and his training reputation by reminiscing about their shared time together at Man United. He said:
“I couldn’t fault Jadon in training. He brings unbelievable quality, ability and skills. He can make you stop in awe and ask yourself just how he can do things. He brought unmatched quality. I think what didn’t help Jadon was that he’s a very closed-off person. He keeps to himself, and from the outside it looked like he wasn’t trying to make friends with his team-mates. He might not have joked around but really he was just quiet, and I don’t think you should judge players on who he gets on with or not. Based on his ability and craft, I never saw any problems in his relationships. He was quiet-natured, and so when training is done, he doesn’t stay to talk, he heads home. He’s very private. I think a bit of an introvert, which isn’t the opinion he gets branded with in the press.”
While McCarthy’s experience matters and introverts usually get misunderstood as arrogant, Sancho remains a highly debatable personality in football. The 25-year-old’s poor training conduct during his time with England under Gareth Southgate and under Ten Hag dominated the news cycle in 2023.
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There is no denying that Sancho has all the talent and quality to succeed at the topmost level in football. However, to thrive at that topmost level, hard work and consistency are essential, and that is something he has lacked immensely. At this point, it is best for United and Sancho to part ways, but he needs to take a significant pay cut.