I’m not saying it is exclusively true. It isn’t that all the hardest workers are the fans’ favourites and all the technicians are not - but I think in principle, fans, and Gary Neville, will typically ‘like’ you more if you an ‘honest pro’ with little ability rather than one with outrageous ability with lesser workrate. I don’t think it’s looked at equally as in both players have deficiencies in their game, one technical, one industry.
I appreciate the importance of workrate from the context of building a team to win games, certainly in the PL, which is built on XI cyborgs playing against each other now with everyone needing to be strong and fit. But it’s sort of like how people appreciate the importance of defending while rarely having defenders as their favourite players. There was a time on here a few years ago when I regularly saw posters saying Scott McTominay was their favourite player. And I remember asking at the time how anyone can grow up as a fan of football and get to the stage where, as an adult, Scott McTominay is their favourite player. But then I also appreciate why he seemingly endeared himself to many fans.
Ten Hag is a coach, not a fan, and has to focus on things like tracking back and defending because they are important. I personally wouldn’t want us to be outrun every game because we would probably lose them. But I’ve always had time for Martial. Or, as you know - Pogba, because they were often the only players in our team that could do things that would make me smile. But I also remember Gabriel Heinze and Alan Smith being fan favourites, and they were - by my personal metrics, both shit footballers. Heinze especially came in and played LB first season, no pace, no skill, no crossing ability but could put in a ‘thundering tackle’. I remember him putting in a slide tackle (not a goal saving one or anything) against Liverpool at Old Trafford once and there was a long thread about it on here.
Anyway, think there are two schools of thoughts, with some overlap at times - but I’m firmly in the technique camp. If I’m going to decide to watch a match that doesn’t involve United, I’m first checking the team sheets to see if the ‘flair players’ were playing. When I was a kid and I watched random games, sometimes youth games from abroad with players I didn’t know, I’d be out off if I ran through the team sheet and the #10 was on the bench! I also was persuaded to watch for 5 mins if the 10 was called Fabio Da Costa or something
. Ultimately, the appeal with Sancho is, for me, obvious. Just watching him play, he’s often the most watchable player on show.