Ten Hag is happy for Sancho and laughs off transfer suggestion

"He played very well and Jadon is simply a very good player," Erik ten Hag commented during his press preview on Friday, ahead of the upcoming Monday night match against Crystal Palace.

He praised Jadon Sancho's performance, noting, "Jadon showed why United bought him and that he still represents a lot of value for this club. That's only a good thing. I'm happy for him and we'll see what happens in the future."

The conversation quickly turned to the broader strategy at Manchester United, particularly around the transfer market. Recently, there has been considerable speculation about the club's transfer policies, with the English media frequently questioning whether the club needs to sell players to balance the books. Ten Hag responded to these suggestions with a laugh, dismissing them as overly dramatic. "It's a joke. Every transfer period it's claimed that we need to sell everyone, which isn't true. Just like how every window supposedly links us to two hundred players, which also isn't true. You just make headlines out of it. Find a good source, I would say."

Reflecting on his tenure at United, Ten Hag admitted some regrets regarding past transfer windows. "This will be my fifth transfer period here. Two previous ones were fine, and in the other two, we missed some opportunities. We need to start improving the squad again, but the foundation is very good. We know we're not yet at the level expected at this club, so we still have work to do."

Looking ahead to the upcoming game, Ten Hag outlined the team's current challenges with player availability. "For the match against Palace, we will be without Marcus Rashford," he confirmed. Additionally, Bruno Fernandes is doubtful due to a minor injury, and Scott McTominay is also likely to miss the game as he continues his recovery from an injury. On a positive note, Anthony Martial and Jonny Evans have resumed group training and are making progress toward full match fitness.

This mixture of player injuries and recovery progress underscores the challenges Ten Hag faces as he aims to push Manchester United back to the top levels of English and European football. His commentary not only highlights the ongoing adjustments within the team but also sets the stage for a strategic approach to the upcoming transfer window, as he seeks to refine the squad and address key areas of need.