Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted Jadon Sancho’s decision to air his grievances publicly saw him treated differently to Marcus Rashford, who has returned to the squad after his nightclub controversy.

Rashford was spotted in a Belfast nightclub last week and called in sick for a training session scheduled for the following day, which saw him dropped from the squad for one game before Ten Hag declared the matter resolved.

The disciplinary process took a wildly different path to that of Sancho, who was frozen out for months and ultimately loaned to Borussia Dortmund after his public spat with Ten Hag.

The boss has since been accused of playing favourites but, when challenged on his treatment of the two players, insisted Sancho’s decision to go public required a different level of discipline.

“We can sort out everything internally,” Ten Hag said of Rashford’s case. “Jadon chose to go public.”

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With a warning to Rashford and the wider United squad, Ten Hag made it clear that players at this level must be held to a higher standard in their personal lives.

“First of all, the players at this level need to manage themselves, that is what you can demand from the player,” the Dutchman continued.

“The player has to know what is good and not good. When you want to play top football, it demands a certain way of life. Always.”

Ten Hag went on to laugh off claims that he has had to act as a ‘babysitter’ for the squad, having also been forced to discipline Cristiano Ronaldo and Alejandro Garnacho in the past.

“No, come on, we are talking about top football players,” he said. “I don’t have to educate them any more. When you are playing for Man Utd, they should know.”