Ten Hag failed Sancho — Jose Mourinho
i

Jose Mourinho commented on Jadon Sancho's situation at Manchester United || Image credit: Imago

Ten Hag failed Sancho — Jose Mourinho

Faruq Ibrahim 22:17 - 01.06.2024

Jose Mourinho commented on Jadon Sancho's Manchester United situation.

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has weighed in on Jadon Sancho’s situation with the Red Devils; he believes Erik ten Hag is at fault for not getting the best out of him. 

Sancho is currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund after falling out with the Dutch manager. The Manchester City academy graduate fired back on social media after Ten Hag publicly criticised his work ethic. Sancho subsequently refused to apologise and was frozen out of the squad before being shipped to Dortmund. 

What Mourinho said 

Speaking on TNT Sports broadcast of the Champions League final, Jose was asked about Sancho's situation and he had the following to say:

 "As a player, we know his talent. We saw what he could do, there are no doubts about it. What happened at Man United...if I look at my own history, sometimes I failed with players.”

Jose Mourinho during the pre-game analysis ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final 2023/24 match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid CF at Wembley Stadium on June 1, 2024 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Pablo Morano/BSR Agency)
Jose Mourinho during the pre-game analysis ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final 2023/24 match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid CF at Wembley Stadium on June 1, 2024 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Pablo Morano/BSR Agency)

“Sometimes I couldn't create the right empathy, I couldn't understand the player's DNA and I couldn't help players grow up in the right direction. The majority of times, yes, I did it but on some occasions, I couldn't.

"I think sometimes we have to learn with experiences, which I tried always to do, to try to understand the nature of the player. Sometimes they have the talent but don't have the mindset you want from a player. For sure, the kid [Sancho] made mistakes, that's for sure, but for sure his manager was not able to get the best out of him."

Jose was then asked if the club failed Sancho, and he said, “Normally, it's multi-factorial. Normally, it's the manager, the player, the family, the agent, the club.”

However, Mourinho added that managers, especially the experienced ones, should bear responsibility for player development. 

“But looking at myself as a coach, I did many times get the best out of young players and helped them to be what they were in the future.”

Jadon Sancho  || Imago
Jadon Sancho || Imago

“Other times I failed. For sure, even if it's multi-factorial, we are part of it. For us coaches with more experience and many situations of déjà vu as we get older, we try to help the players in the right direction. I think in this case, they look at it and for sure they try to analyse what happened at Man United and what happened and what he found in Dortmund."

Meanwhile, as Pulse Sports reported, Mourinho is set to return to coaching, after reaching an agreement with Turkish giant Fenerbahce. 

Related content