Jadon Sancho has returned to Manchester United for pre-season training after holding positive talks with manager Erik ten Hag.
Sancho left the Red Devils on loan in January after a public fallout with the Dutchman last September. The England international was left out of the matchday squad for a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal and claimed he had been made a “scapegoat” after Ten Hag said he wasn’t selected due to poor performances in training.
Ten Hag froze Sancho out of the picture thereafter, refusing to reintegrate him unless he apologised, and the 24-year-old returned to former club Borussia Dortmund on a temporary basis, helping the German outfit reach the Champions League final – a game they lost 2-0 defeat to favourites Real Madrid.
Ten Hag’s future was subject to intense speculation before Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS made the decision to keep the former Ajax boss and he and Sancho appear to have drawn a line under their dispute ahead of the 2024/25 season.
ESPN and a number of outlets report that the pair held positive discussions this week and Sancho will be available for selection moving forward, though it remains to be seen whether or not United would be prepared to sell if they received a suitable offer.
Serie A giants Juventus have been strongly linked with Sancho, as well as United teammate Mason Greenwood, with reports claiming United had offered the winger to teams like Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain.
Sancho will not travel to Norway to play Rosenborg in a pre-season friendly next week, but his potential return to action is a welcome boost for United as they bid to put behind them their worst-ever Premier League campaign.
United finished eighth in 2023/24, accruing just 60 points, but qualified for the Europa League after beating rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final – victory sealed by goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
The Red Devils have signalled their intent to improve by making a number of moves in the summer transfer window. A deal to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna is close to completion, while moves for Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite are also in the pipeline.
What we know
- Jadon Sancho has returned to Man Utd for pre-season training
- England winger joined Borussia Dortmund on loan after falling out with Erik ten Hag
- Positive talks between the pair said to have taken place this week,