Michael Owen believes Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho ‘would have preferred’ Erik ten Hag to lose his job at Old Trafford.
United gave serious thought to replacing Ten Hag towards the end of the 2023-24 campaign as the Red Devils slumped to eighth in the Premier League – their lowest-ever finish.
But after speaking to potential targets including Thomas Tuchel and watching Manchester United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final, it was decided that Ten Hag would stay.
Ex-England striker Owen believes Sancho ‘probably’ wishes Ten Hag had left after falling out with the United boss at the start of last season.
Sancho was sent back to his former club Borussia Dortmund on loan after falling out of favour with Ten Hag, who criticised his effort in training and axed him from a matchday squad.
Given the fall-out and his improved form in Germany, Sancho was expected to complete a permanent return to the Bundesliga club.
But Sancho held clear-the-air talks with Ten Hag last week before being pictured in Manchester United training and then starting the club’s pre-season friendly against Rangers.
Ten Hag has said he has ‘drawn a line’ under his spat with Sancho but Owen still believes the England international would have ‘preferred’ a change in manager ahead of the new season.
‘Jadon Sancho took a really risky move in many ways but almost an unavoidable one in going back to where he was to try to reignite that spark, and he’s done particularly well,’ Owen told Prime Casino.
‘I’m sure he probably would have preferred there to have been a change of manager at Old Trafford so it was a clean slate and he could come back and hopefully start again.
‘I don’t know what his future holds, but he’s certainly gone away and proven that he can still cut it at the top level.’
What has Erik ten Hag said about Jadon Sancho?
Ten Hag described Sancho as a ‘terrible good player’ after reintroducing him to the Manchester United squad.
The Old Trafford boss said: ‘We spoke well. Anyone can make a mistake. If the player reflects well on that, then you draw a line and move on again.
‘This club needs good players, and one thing is for sure: Jadon is a terribly good player. I hope that the click still comes and that he will contribute to our success.’
Despite his talent, Sancho has only scored nine goals in 58 Premier League games for Manchester United since completing a £73m move from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.
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