Erik ten Hag has been told that Jadon Sancho's poor form has meant Manchester United have missed Cristiano Ronaldo more than usual since his omission from the squad.
The 37-year-old was banished from Ten Hag's matchday squad against Chelsea as punishment following his refusal to come on against Tottenham. Ronaldo has since been forced to train with United's under-21 side.
Casemiro proved to be the unlikely hero at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, with his header rescuing a point following Jorginho's opener from the spot just minutes before. Antony impressed once more, with Bruno Fernandes also going close, but neither could find the back of the net.
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But with Ronaldo missing and the Reds failing to take all three points from their trip to the capital, many have highlighted the side's need for an out-and-out center-forward in the upcoming January window. Former Aston Villa man Gabriel Agbonlahor is of the same opinion, insisting Sancho has to give more if he wants to keep his place in Ten Hag's plans moving forward.
“I just want to speak about Sancho because when I watch Man United I look at Antony, I look at Rashford, I look at Fernandes and they look like they want to take a player on and want to do something and take responsibility in the attacking third. Sancho, he gets the ball and passes it backwards,'' he told talkSport.
“If I was Luke Shaw, I’d say 'stop passing it back to me, I’m giving you the ball so take someone on'. How many times do you have to play him?
“If you’re Ronaldo you’re probably thinking 'how many chances is this guy going to get?'. Elanga, how many times is Sancho going to get the chance to play for Manchester United because he’s not performing and he’s a million miles away from a chance to play at the World Cup.”
Agbonlahor then suggested that Sancho's dip in form means United are missing Ronaldo more than they would be if the England international was firing on all cylinders.
“Ronaldo deserved to be left out for this game, it was the right punishment but going forward this is why Ten Hag has said that he wants Ronaldo for the season," he added. “This is the sort of game [vs Chelsea] where they’re missing Ronaldo. It’s not working with Sancho on the left. Antony I like, Rashford could be pushed onto the left with Ronaldo up front because Sancho doesn’t take anyone on.
“This is the perfect game to say 'Cristiano, come on and do your business' like he did against Everton when he came on and scored.”
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