Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has responded to criticism of Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho, dismissing claims of an attitude problem as unfounded.
Sancho, 23, is back on loan at Dortmund after being excluded by Erik ten Hag, training at United’s academy since September.
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Ten Hag cited Sancho’s effort levels and benched him against Arsenal, leading to a social media post where the winger refuted the accusations and accused his manager of making him a ‘scapegoat’.
Sancho was informed that a public apology to Ten Hag was necessary for a return to the first-team squad. He declined, resulting in a four-month exile without playing.
During this period, reports surfaced about Sancho’s alleged lack of commitment and discipline in training. Former team-mate Nemanja Matic claimed Sancho and Paul Pogba were consistently ‘late’ for sessions.
However, despite the challenges, Sancho reportedly maintained an intense training regimen and swiftly joined Dortmund’s squad for the Bundesliga clash with Darmstadt on Saturday.
Just before the kick-off, BVB chief Watzke dismissed the notion that Sancho’s swift return to the Dortmund squad was unexpected, criticizing the recent months’ criticism aimed at the player.
‘Jadon has no problem with discipline,’ the Dortmund CEO told Sky Sport Germany. ‘I don’t know who invented that.’
Watzke did, however, admit that Sancho ‘has a bit of a problem with his internal clock and can be a bit late from time to time.’
The Dortmund chief says the player has lost none of his talent during his United exile & is still a ‘friend of the ball’ with his dribbling, while he also claimed that ‘some journalists seem to have him mixed up with (Ousmane) Dembele’ who went on strike to force a move to Barcelona in 2017.
Watzke’s evaluation aligns with former United interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who dismissed assertions of Sancho having a weak work ethic in a recent interview.
Asked about Sancho’s attitude, Rangnick told Sky Germany: ‘In the six months I had him, there wasn’t a single discipline problem.
‘On the contrary. He is a calm and pleasant guy.’
Ten Hag, meanwhile, had little to say about Sancho’s exit, only: ‘I hope he’s doing well, so I wish him the best of luck. That’s it. I hope he’s doing well and he will be a success.’
