Manchester United and their fans are experiencing a season of upheaval and disappointment, marked by the recent Champions League exit and a turbulent domestic campaign. In addition to the ownership takeover saga of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, injury woes, and off-field issues, such as Jadon Sancho’s exclusion, have seemingly plagued their current season.
Recently, former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic spoke about his time at Old Trafford, taking a jibe at the club’s standards as he recalled the poor attitude of two of his colleagues and star players.
Matic reveals Sancho, Pogba always being late for training
The Serbian international Nemanja Matic made a £40 million move from fellow Premier League rivals Chelsea to join Manchester United in 2017. During his time with the Red Devils, the midfielder made 189 appearances. The 35-year-old left Old Trafford in 2022 after a five-season stint under the management of Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Ralf Rangnick.
Matic is currently playing for French club Rennes, shared insights about his time at Manchester United compared to his former club Chelsea, while speaking to outlet YuPlanet. He also called out two-star players, Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho, for not being on time during training at Carrington.
He revealed, “At Chelsea, players acted professionally, they were punctual and were never late for training but at United, it happened almost every day, Among the players who would always be late were Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho and a couple of other players.”
Also, the club established an internal disciplinary committee to enforce standards on and off the field. Nemanja Matic served as the president and collected a staggering amount of £75,000 in fines from players for arriving late and violating other norms.
“I put a sheet of paper up on the wall where I documented the names of individuals arriving late. During one particular season, we collected around £75,000 in fines,” he told in the interview.
Sancho reportedly “training like a beast”
Jadon Sancho has been sidelined since August due to a fallout with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. The winger has been excluded from first-team activities. Recent reports suggest that the Englishman is ‘training like a beast,’ maintaining top shape and fitness.
Furthermore, many of his teammates are advocating for his reinstatement to the team, especially given the shortage of firepower in the offense.
Surprisingly, Erik ten Hag included Jadon Sancho in the 25-man UCL squad. However, the manager turned down his chances to play for the first team. Ten Hag has been firm in his stance, insisting that the forward needs to apologize for his actions, and there is a strong possibility he could leave for another club in the upcoming transfer window.
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