Keane would be ’embarrassed’ in Sancho’s situation and explains how he can revive career

Roy Keane believes Manchester United will be able to ‘move on quickly’ if Jadon Sancho apologises.

The Red Devils winger has been left out of Erik ten Hag’s match day squads since the start of the month after he claimed he was being used as a ‘scapegoat’.

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Sancho’s social media statement came after his manager told the media he wasn’t training right when quizzed on why the ex-Borussia Dortmund star was absent for the Arsenal game.

Many ex-footballers and pundits have given their take on the situation, with some highlighting Sancho’s mental health struggles last season as a factor to consider, whilst others have backed the manager.

Now, Man United legend Keane, who played 487 games for the club and won seven Premier Leagues, four FA Cups and a Champions League during that time, has backed Ten Hag’s choice to be honest about Sancho’s form in training.

Speaking on the first episode of The Overlap’s show Stick to Football, he said: “I don’t think he is training right. I have no issue with his personality.

“I am not bothered about that [a player being withdrawn], the one thing we don’t really forgive a player for… we have all worked with players who have come in, they can be grumpy or whatever, but when they are training, they are training properly.

“My annoyance with Sancho would be if he is not training properly. Whatever it is about his personality, we’re all different.”

Putting himself in Sancho’s shoes, Keane admitted how gutted he’d be if a manager spoke about him like that in the media. However, he still maintained that Ten Hag was entitled to do so.

He continued: “I’d be embarrassed, I’d be ashamed of my life if the manager ever came up to me, or even spoke through the media because you get over that stuff.

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“People say you can’t say stuff about the players through the media, yes you can, you can send messages out to people.”

talkSPORT understands Man United will continue to make Sancho train away from the first-team if he still refuses to apologise to his boss.

It’s reported he has now been barred from accessing all first-team facilities at their Carrington training ground.

Ten Hag refused to comment on the ongoing row with Sancho after Tuesday night’s 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Crystal Palace.

But Keane believes there’s a way for Sancho to revive his career at Old Trafford, detailing his experience as a player and a manager.

He said: “If you have got questions marks over this player, he is not training properly and he does turn around and show some sort of humility and says, ‘maybe I got it wrong’, you can move on very quickly.

“We’ve been in dressing rooms where players have come in and said: ‘Sorry lads I have made a mistake’, it is forgotten about very quickly.

“Football dressing rooms are a strange dynamic, if a player shows they care and they are human, it’s fine. We move on quickly.”

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