Jamie Carragher names one thing Erik ten Hag can't afford to do with Jadon Sancho at Man United

Jamie Carragher has warned Erik ten Hag that he "can't afford" to lose his public spat with Jadon Sancho at Manchester United.

Sancho was left out of the United squad beaten by Arsenal in the Premier League earlier this month, with Ten Hag revealing in his post-match press conference that the winger's performance levels in training hadn't been up to scratch.

Sancho then posted a statement on social media insisting he was being made a scapegoat. The 23-year-old kept the statement as his pinned post for several days and refused to apologise. He has yet to train with his teammates since the fallout, and Carragher insists Ten Hag can't afford to back down.

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"Ten Hag almost can't afford to lose this fight," Carragher told the Stick to Football podcast. "He's come out and I don't think it's massive what he said in the press conference after the game.

"He's been asked a question why Sancho isn't in the squad, and the answer is he hasn't trained right. Because Erik ten Tag is going through a really difficult spell – Man United haven't started the season well – we say 'he's losing the dressing room' but if he was winning, we'd be saying 'he's ruthless, he's dealt with the situation and sent a message to the dressing room'.

"I'm always with the manager on this. It's not even heavy criticism – has he been training right? He's been awful – he's been really poor considering how much he cost Manchester United and his reputation."

Sancho's future at United remains in doubt with no signs of an amicable conclusion being reached. The winger deactivated his Instagram account on Wednesday and has been