When asked about his exiled winger Jadon Sancho, Erik ten Hag avoided directly addressing him by name during his press conference before Brighton.

Erik ten Hag met with the press on Friday, before Saturday’s game against Brighton at Old Trafford, and Jadon Sancho was the main topic of discussion.

While Sancho trained out alone in the academy, Ten Hag fielded 20 inquiries about his spat with the winger and subsequent decision to leave him off the first-team roster.

The England international has been in the spotlight after he supposedly accused his management of lying about his low training standards.

He won’t be playing for United this weekend against Brighton, and his return to the lineup remаins uncertain.

Can you tell us whether or not Jadon Sancho will play against Brighton, and if not, why not?

We finish the game, analyze the data, and provide our findings to the team in ETH. We performed admirably in my opinion at Arsenal. At Arsenal, we put in a lot of hard work in practice and on the field and deserved much more than we got.

Our research led us to that conclusion, and as you can see, we are making headway against a strong Arsenal side, where we will need a draw to advance. We gave a good performance, and I think we deserved to win.

All the players have been back for two days, and we’ve had great training sessions. We’re ready to take on Brighton, a very good Brighton, and we’re full of enthusiasm for the match.

With all due respect, I wаnted to know Jadon Sancho’s thoughts on the club’s statement from yesterday and your comments after the game. Is there a way out of this?

It seems like everything has been said, ETH. I think it’s safe to sаy that everyone on the team is confident and excited about the upcoming game.

With Jadon in his predicament and Antony unavailable, the atmosphere is less than ideal. I don’t see how the team can win.

ETH: They’re fantastic. You build a squad, and the squad is really good, and the players who are available are very determined to deliver a strong performance, despite the fact that occasionally you have setbacks in seasons, guys are hurt, or for some other reason they are not accessible.

Do you always have to act as though you’re the players’ father?

ETH: No. You learn about team building and group dynamics as you grow up with the generation. That comes first, but within that, everyone has a part to play and a persona they must cultivate and control. However, teamwork is always prioritized.

Do you enforce your rules strictly, or do you offer some players more leniency than others?

The club wаnted me to establish strict guidelines because there was no positive culture prior to the previous season. My role is to maintain quality control.

Strict line decisions have never been made after a single slip-up; rather, they involve a lengthy procedure. No matter if you’re talking about employees, athletes, or anyone else, if there’s a system in place to transgress lines, you must be formidable.

How did you feel when Sancho posted a message online questioning your authority?

ETH: I can’t afford to lose focus on the game at hand, thus I don’t even consider those things. That’s the crux of the issue. Those here and able to play merit my presence. It’s all on me to lead them and get them ready. I just consider the currently available players.

But, as manager, do you feel cоmpelled to speak up after he nearly accused you of lying?

ETH: It’s not just about the team or the club, it’s not even about me. Tomorrow, when we play Brighton, I intend to give a spectacular performance.

Last year, you quickly resolved an issue involving Cristiano Ronaldo; how long do you anticipate it will take to resolve the Sancho situation?

ETH: To be honest, I don’t give that much thought. I worry about the future. As a team, I consider how we may best move forward. The Champions League is next for us! I need to think carefully about several factors before making any judgments.

Although his removal of the offending social media post is a sign of remorse, has he actually offered an apology?

ETH: I don’t see why this is a big deal. What’s most crucial, I believe, is that I get my squad ready. Now I do that. I put in as much time and energy as possible with the guys I have. Since he can’t help right now, his absence makes him irrelevant.

Should United even think of playing him again?

I don’t know. — ETH. Here I am sitting down. There will be a lot of games in a short amount of time starting tomorrow, as we enter a new block of games. That’s what my attention is focused on.

You’re down an Antony and decided against playing Sancho. How critical do you think it is for a manager to establish guidelines and remain firm on them, even if doing so goes against the interests of the team?

ETH: You make a fairly significant point, but it works in the team’s favor, so I’ll take it. That is the basis for my choice. For the record, that has nothing to do with me. No. This works out well for the squad.

Despite the potential downside of a lack of players, what are your thoughts?

And even then? ETH: Yes.

You gave Sancho a break last season, and now you’re attempting to generate team spirit. He didn’t just accuse you of lying; he really used that term. Does that speak to the type of guy he is, to the point that he isn’t welcome on the team?

ETH: It’s up to each person to decide how they feel about that. However, as I’ve already stated, he is currently unavailable, rendering his contribution to our output impossible. I’ll head out there and get the team amped up for a spectacular showing.

However, he is the source of this diversion. He works here for a salary. What he is being paid for is his job. I don’t understand how we can let him keep acting this way.

ETH: That’s something we have to face as a group or a team. But again, it doesn’t matter for the upcoming games; I have to focus on helping the team perform at its best tomorrow, next week, and beyond. I need to zero in on that.

Two of your choices on the right side have vanished. How much of an issue would it be if a manager didn’t have access to those levers?

ETH: [Laughs] I don’t worry about that; I think we built the squad wisely, and we have plenty of options. The choice to play there is ours to make.

In their first four games, United has won two and lost two. How difficult is it for you as a manager to keep your mind on the game when things happen off the field?

ETH: As you mention in your inquiry, the key is concentration. Insuring a satisfactory showing. Right now, that’s the season’s top priority.

Now you can see how far we’ve come from our first game. From past experience, I can sаy that the season’s beginning is typically difficult. As an act of cоnflict, strugglе, or scoring points.

Most importantly, though, you can unquestionably see performance enhancements. I take heart from the fact that you can see a positive trend—our numbers are on the rise.

You should remember that you’re only human. All of the players have flaws because they’re human. It’s the very least you could do, right?

Yes, but of course I know that with fans it’s the talk, with you it’s the discussion, but with the players it’s not the talk. They have an urge to act. Players who previously didn’t have many chances to shine are now overjoyed because they now have one. This is their chance to join the team. So, as I mentioned, our morale was excellent, and everybody’s attention was squarely fixed on this game and the upcoming ones.

Since you’ve been here, you’ve made some efforts to maintain player management in-house. Is Jadon not allowed to utilize his own platform to voice his opinion, and why did you make your criticisms of him public?

I am always forthright, or ETH. You need to keep things to yourself, but you can’t… if you ask me, I’ll tell you the trutҺ.

That points to a cumulative process rather than a single event. You don’t seem like the kind of manager who would utter words without meаning them. Did you meаn to convey something?

ETH: It’s a collective effort once more. I spoke only of the team and its members while describing what I had to sаy.

The players who were away on international duty have returned, and the team is once again in a positive place. They are tremendously motivated, and they are looking forward to the upcoming season. The result, but not the effort, was a major letdown for us from Arsenal.

How have you been holding up during this wild time? Has it been significant to have the support of the club?

ETH: I was able to give that some thought. But what I did to analyze the four games we played was the most crucial. We’re in an excellent spot, as I mentioned. I have faith that if we keep up this momentum, we will eventually see positive outcomes.