Man Utd confident treatment of Jadon Sancho is 'justified' under FIFA rules after Erik ten Hag banished winger as a 'last resort'

• Sancho frozen out at Old Trafford
• Winger in feud with manager Ten Hag
• Red Devils believe treatment of winger is legal

WHAT HAPPENED? Sancho's United career appears to be hanging in the balance after he accused manager Erik ten Hag of making him a "scapegoat" in a now-deleted Instagram post, shortly after the Dutchman said the winger's performances in training were not up to scratch. The 23-year-old has since been banned from entering any first-team areas at the Red Devils' Carrington training base and is training, and eating, with academy players.

With the England international reportedly refusing to apologise, Sancho is still being frozen out at the club. According to FIFA regulations, asking a player to train on their own may result in a team being found guilty of engaging in 'abusive conduct', plus, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) understand there are UK employment law arguments to suggest such treatment is unlawful. Now, ESPN claims United believe the standards of high level training and physical fitness they have provided for Sancho will meet the PFA's criteria, and have assigned dedicated coaches to work with him going forward.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Sancho may have played his last game for the club. The longer this feud between the former Borussia Dortmund star and Ten Hag goes on, the less likely it is his future will be at Old Trafford. United paid £73 million ($89.7m) to sign Sancho from the German outfit in 2021 but he has scored just 12 goals in 82 games to date. United are reportedly considering cutting their losses and selling him for a reduced fee in January.

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Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? United return to Premier League action on Saturday when they host Crystal Palace, just a few short days after they beat the Eagles 3-0 in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. It remains to be seen if this Sancho saga will be resolved by then.