Man Utd embrace ‘anthem waves + girlfriend assaults’…all in PL 25 squad
Manchester United have added two controversial strikers to their Premier League roster for this season – Jadon Sancho, who caused a stir with his antics, and Anthony Martial, who is being investigated for assaulting three women, including a former girlfriend.
United confirmed its Premier League squad for the 2023/24 season on Thursday. The roster includes 16 non-homegrown players and nine homegrown players.
Homegrown players are those who have spent at least three years with an English Football Association (FA) club before the age of 21. All teams in the PL are required to have a minimum of eight homegrown players, which is one more than United, who have registered nine.
Among the homegrown players on the confirmed United squad is Jadon Sancho. Sancho caused a stir on social media when he took to Twitter to criticize his manager, saying, “I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time,” after he was left out of the squad for “insufficient performance” ahead of the club’s fourth-round Premier League match against Arsenal.
Sancho’s future has been unclear since then, and he was approached by Saudi Arabia’s Al Etihad on Aug. 8 to sign a loan deal, but talks between the clubs fell through.
However, Sancho took down the offending social media post on the 13th, acknowledging that his behavior was wrong and bowing his head.
Sancho had a falling out with the club and claimed he was treated poorly, but he was given a chance to play in the 2023/24 squad. He was far from perfect last season, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 41 games. However, he still showed that he can be a good resource within the Premier League, posting a seasonal rating of 7.3.
Sancho isn’t the only player to have been a ‘surprise pick’ for Mourinho.
Brazilian winger Anthony, who is currently serving a provisional suspension from the club following a controversial assault on his girlfriend, was also included in the Premier League squad. Anthony proved himself to be a regular resource for United last season, scoring 10 goals and providing five assists in 47 games. However, the player, who was brought to United from Dutch side Ajax by 메이저놀이터 Van Gaal, has been a regular starter this season, but was recently dropped from the Brazilian national team for assaulting his girlfriend, and the club later announced that he would not be able to train.
’90MIN’ also reported on November 11 that Anthony is currently living in Brazil, and United have confirmed that he will not return to Old Trafford until he is cleared of all charges.
However, he has been named in the Premier League squad to let him know that the club is waiting for him. If Anthony can make a good enough case to overturn the charges, he’ll be welcome back.
In a statement released on social media on June 6, Anthony maintained his innocence, saying “I am not guilty” and “I cannot disclose the current course of the investigation, but I am confident that the evidence I have submitted will exonerate me.”