Sancho, who returned from Manchester United on a six-month loan on Thursday, was left off the starting lineup for Dortmund’s away Bundesliga encounter against Darmstadt on Saturday.
The Dortmund manager stated in an interview with Sky Germany prior to the game that the team had little problems with Sancho, who played for the Westfallenstadion for four years, from 2017 to 2021.
“Jadon has no problem with discipline” Watzke responded, “I don’t know who thought that up.”
“The lad has a bit of a problem with his internal clock and can be a bit late from time to time.”
Sancho was still able to dribble, according to Watzke, who referred to him as “a friend of the ball.”
“Some journalists seem to have him mixed up with (Ousmane) Dembele,” Watzke added. Dembele played for the team for just one season before going on strike in 2017 to demand a transfer to Barcelona.
After winning the German Cup at the conclusion of the 2021 campaign, Sancho signed a £73 million ($93 million, 85 million euros) contract to join United.
Sancho had been suspended by United for the majority of the season following a public altercation with manager Erik ten Hag, who claimed he had not given his all in training.
In September, the 23-year-old shared on social media that he felt like a “scapegoat” for the team’s underwhelming results.
Although Sancho only made the move 48 hours ago, Dortmund manager Edin Terzic hinted that he would see some action, telling Sky that “we hope that he can influence the game today”.
Dortmund is six points behind RB Leipzig in fourth place.
