Erik ten Hag has spoken out on Jadon Sancho's penalty miss at Wembley (Image: Getty)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has come to the defence of Jadon Sancho after his failure in the penalty shootout defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
Ten Hag and Sancho have been reunited at Old Trafford this season after a falling out which saw the winger exiled from the first team and sent out on loan in 2023/24.
Both men have now put their issues behind them and Sancho came off the bench in the Community Shield at Wembley for his first competitive appearance for United in almost a year.
What should have been a cause for celebration turned sour in the penalty shootout, however, as after a 1-1 draw in normal time, Sancho was one of two United players to fail to find the net before City secured victory.
Still, Ten Hag backed the 24-year-old in a post-match interview with ITV. “He's a very good penalty taker,” he said. “Today he missed his penalty but that's part of the game.”
Alejandro Garnacho put United ahead in the 82nd minute, and that lead was earned by a fantastic performance in which City were exposed to prolonged periods of pressure.
But Bernardo Silva scored just before added time to give the reigning Premier League champions an equaliser.
Manuel Akanji scored Manchester City's winning penalty (Image: Getty)
The penalty shootout that followed was a tough one for Ten Hag to take after witnessing a display that ticked all the boxes.
“When the performance is good, we win the match and after the penalty is saved, we lose… yes, everyone feels it. [defeat]”It makes their stomachs ache,” he continued.
“We have to accept that. We have to suffer, we have to feel the pain now because it will give us the motivation to do better. We can take positives from it, we can compete with Manchester City and we have to keep that belief for the future. [game]” . “
Despite a return to action and a repaired relationship with Ten Hag, it remains to be seen whether Sancho will still be a United player when they host Fulham in their Premier League opener on Friday night.
Sancho, who spent time in City's academy before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2017, is believed to be a target for French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, has plenty of wide options including Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Facundo Pellistri, Marcus Rashford and Antony.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1934582/erik-ten-hag-jadon-sancho-man-utd-man-city