Sancho v ten Hag: Alan Smith Gives Verdict On Man United Conflict

The Jadon Sancho v Erik ten Hag feud has really caught the public eye amidst a turbulent start to the new season for Man United.

Here at BoyleSports we got the chance to chat with former Man United forward Alan Smith who offered his opinion on how the situation between the manager and winger has been handled.

The former England international discussed Erik ten Hag’s pressure and the time he’ll have to turn things around at the club. He also touched on what Roy Keane might have done as Man United captain in this situation and the missed opportunity to sign Harry Kane at Man United.

Ten Hag Will Be Given Time

I think Manchester United as a club is in an in-between stage of the moment. There’s talk of a club sale and reports of unrest in the club. I can’t speculate on the situation of the players, but I think it’s been tough for Ten Hag as a lot of these things are outside of his control.

I believe the club will give him time, though, as I can’t see the owners pulling the plug on the manager if they’re serious about selling. If the new owners do arrive, they’ll either have a manager in mind, or they’ll give him time to build his squad. I don’t think there’ll be any panic.

Look at the games they’ve lost – Tottenham have been rejuvenated, and the game against Arsenal was a close call. If Garnacho’s goal was onside, then nobody would be talking about this. I’m sure Ten Hag will be confident he can turn it around.

The next game, against Brighton, is huge – nobody wants to play Brighton right now. If United beat Brighton, then they’ll have won their three home games. The away form needs work, of course, but only Man City are consistently as good away from home as they are at it.

The chasing pack will consist of United, and I think the ownership situation is the big issue at the club. I think, until the new owners arrive, everything at the club will be kept as it is.

The Jadon Sancho v Erik ten Hag Saga

I don’t think Ten Hag, or any manager, can ever be at fault. Football has changed, though, as the social media aspect has caused internal events to be broadcast to the outside world.

Fallouts between players and managers are common. If you’re not playing, then you’re not happy. The usual response is to get your head down and focus, but nowadays the feuds are put in the public domain.

At the end of the day, the manager has to be the figurehead of the club and if anyone speaks out about the manager, then the player has no future at the club. Those conversations should be kept private. If you’ve got a problem with your boss at work, you speak to them, and it’s done. That’s how it should be in any walk of life.

How Roy Keane Would Handle The Sancho Situation

I’m sure Roy, as Man United captain, would say something to the player. Things like this should be kept internal and sorted in the dressing room rather than on social media.

The latter causes so much conflict and makes the club look like a right mess.

Harry Kane The Man To Watch In Man United v Bayern Munich Clash

I thought United would’ve signed him, if I’m being honest. Whether it was an age thing or whatever else, I don’t know. There was a lot of speculation. They obviously went for Rasmus Højlund, but he seems more like one for the future.

I’m not sure why the Kane deal never happened. Maybe Kane didn’t want to play for another English team. It’s a shame we lost him in the Premier League.

He’s started really well at Bayern, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the game. Bayern are a huge club in world football, and they probably signed Kane with hopes of winning the Champions League. United’s loss will be Bayern’s gain! The game will be an interesting barometer for United to see where they are.

The season has got off to a weird start with the early break, and once the league season really starts, we’ll see how good these clubs really are.

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