Manchester United are reportedly unfazed about potentially breaching a certain FIFA rule in their treatment of Jadon Sancho over the past few weeks.
The winger remains an outcast at United after he was prohibited from engaging in any first-team activities and barred from accessing some of the senior team's facilities, including the cafeteria and dressing room, following a fallout with manager Erik ten Hag, with the club issuing a statement to this effect two weeks ago.
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As such, the player has been restricted to training in isolation and completely out of sight from the first team.
With the matter yet to de-escalate, there are now serious concerns that the Red Devils may be in breach of a FIFA rule that stipulates that asking a player to train on their own may result in a club being found to have engaged in "abusive conduct".
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is also said to be concerned that, under the UK's employment laws, an argument could be made that the current treatment of Sancho is unlawful.
The PFA has, as a result, stressed to the Manchester club that they have an obligation to provide a high level of training and physical fitness for the winger, but according to ESPN, United are adamant they are doing just that for Sancho, having assigned dedicated coaches to work with the former Borussia Dortmund star.
The PFA has also offered to mediate the situation in an effort to find a solution to the saga.
It is believed that Ten Hag's decision to isolate Sancho was a last resort, and that he has the support of his superiors Richard Arnold (United CEO) and John Murtough (director of football) on the matter.
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It is said that only a public apology will see the 23-year-old being considered for a return to the first team, with an exit in January now a distinct possibility.
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