- Ten Hag says Sancho in good frame of mind
- Challenges winger to be more productive
- 'End product is key'
WHAT HAPPENED? The Dutchman explained that Sancho was in a better state of mind than last year, when he was taken out of the squad for two months to focus on improving his fitness and mentality. However, he admitted that the £74 million ($95m) forward needs to score more goals and get more assists.
WHAT THEY SAID: "In this moment he is in a very good vibe. He decides how he is, how his mood and vibe is. I hope and expect. He has a lot of energy, we have all seen that from the moment he came back. He wants to enjoy football and be successful," Ten Hag said in an interview with the Daily Mail. "He has the skills, so also for him it's the same. He has to show consistently that he can make a huge contribution. When you are a front player, that end product is the key. So make sure you are making the key actions, the final pass and get your goals in, because that's why he is here."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Sancho made 18 goal contributions (goals and assists) in his first two seasons at United, a huge drop from his spell with Borussia Dortmund, where he had 76 goal contributions in his last two seasons. However, Ten Hag said he did not think Sancho was playing in a different way compared to at his previous club. "I saw many games at Dortmund and Jadon is not such a different player in Dortmund as he is here. But also for him, he has to get more consistency in his performance but he has to do it at a higher level," he added.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD? The Red Devils play at home to Lens in their penultimate pre-season friendly on August 5.