Manchester United: Jadon Sancho Not 'Physically Or Mentally' Ready To Play, Claims Ten Hag

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has claimed Jadon Sancho is not "physically" or "mentally" ready to play for the club at the moment.

Sancho had a great start to the 2022-23 season, scoring three times for Manchester United before the September international break. However, after he was not included in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Nations League games, Sancho suffered a dip in form and confidence, according to Ten Hag.

"Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. He was not in the right status or fitness state," Ten Hag said in an interview.

Sancho had a fine pre-season with Manchester United, where he scored three times and was also the side's better performer in the opening weeks of the season, scoring crucial goals against Liverpool and Leicester City.

However, the English winger remained an unused substitute against FC Sheriff and West Ham at the end of October and missed the final four games before the World Cup. He was also absent from Manchester United's recent two-match tour of Spain as he worked on his fitness.

Ten Hag, who is in his first season in charge of the Red Devils, believes it would be better for Sancho to be away from the other members of the squad and just concentrate on reaching full fitness and mindset right. The Dutch boss has reportedly assigned a coach he worked with in the Netherlands to assist Sancho.

"I have had several talks with Jadon. He's on a physical program and our aim is to get him back as quickly as possible, but I can't give a prognosis of when that will be," added Ten Hag.

The Old Trafford side signed Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021 for $90 million. Sancho managed five goals and three assists in 38 competitive matches in his maiden season with the Premier League club.

"When you don't show it week by week you can fall out of the squad, which is what happened. When the league started he played some good games, but after we got a drop in levels. Sometimes you don't know why or what is causing it. It's a combination of physical but also mental. We're trying to research and get him back," added Ten Hag.

Manchester United were fifth on the Premier League table when they went into the winter international break. Ten Hag's side is three points behind the top four with a game in hand. They will return to competitive soccer on Dec. 21 as they will take on Burnley in the League Cup.