When Jadon Sancho continues his reintegration as a Manchester United player by facing Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles this weekend, he could be forgiven for casting his mind back 12 months to a pre-season friendly between the two clubs in New Jersey a year ago this week.
Sancho played as a false nine for United that day at the MetLife Stadium, racing clear of the Gunners defence shortly before half-time to smash the ball into the roof of the net in United’s 2-0 win.
It hinted at better times ahead for the England winger who took three months out during Erik ten Hag’s first season at Old Trafford because he was not ‘physically or mentally’ ready to play, according to the United boss.
Four games into the new season – ironically against Arsenal – Sancho’s career at United reached crisis point. He was unhappy with Ten Hag’s preference for playing his former Ajax winger Antony on the right wing, despite the Brazilian’s lack of form. Ten Hag was dissatisfied with Sancho’s performance in training and said so after leaving the player out of his squad at the Emirates.
The rest is history. Sancho hit back on social media, effectively branding his manager a liar and claiming to be ‘a scapegoat’. Ten Hag demanded an apology and when one wasn’t forthcoming, Sancho was banished to the academy to train and eat on his own for four months before rejoining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January.
Jadon Sancho has rejoined Man United's first team having been exiled from the squad after falling out with Erik ten Hag
The winger looked set to enjoy a brilliant season under the Dutchman during United's tour of the US last season
Ten Hag and Sancho have reached an uneasy truce, with the winger's reintegration crucial to improving his transfer value
It felt like that was the end of the road for Sancho at United, and even more so after Ten Hag kept his job by winning the FA Cup in May and signed a one-year contract extension.
These things are rarely clean-cut, however. Sancho still has two years left on the £250,000-a-week contract he was given after joining United from Dortmund for £73million in 2021. The Bundesliga club want to re-sign Sancho but would struggle to afford those wages as well as the £40million transfer fee United are demanding. Juventus are the other club with a long-standing interest, while a move to Paris Saint-Germain remains a possibility.
Amid the uncertainty, Sancho has returned to United this summer and made his first appearance for the club in 11 months in Saturday’s friendly against Rangers after calling a truce with Ten Hag in a meeting at Carrington earlier this month.
‘We spoke well,’ said the United manager. ‘Anyone can make a mistake. If the player reflects well on that, then you draw a line and move on again. This club needs good players, and one thing is for sure: Jadon is a terribly good player. I hope that the click still comes, and that he will contribute to our success.’
Sources have also spoken about Sancho ‘reflecting’ on the fall-out, which suggests he might have stopped short of giving Ten Hag the apology he wanted but softened enough for the two men to move on.
It’s a commonsense move. If United intend to keep Sancho, they need to get him back in training and up to full speed. If they still intend to sell him, it’s better to have him fit and sharp with the first-team than festering in the reserves. A stand-off with his manager only weakens United’s bargaining position with other clubs.
Sancho made his first appearance for United in almost a year when he featured against Rangers last week
Insiders say that Sancho has fitted back in like he has never been away after those few months at Dortmund. They describe a bubbly character with a good sense of humour who can be a positive influence on those around him. Everyone wants to keep it that way, they say, whether he is around for the short or long-term.
One look at Sancho’s social media accounts paints another side to the story, however. The photo on his Twitter account is of the 24-year-old in a Dortmund shirt. On Instagram, Dortmund again dominate with Sancho deciding not to repost the photos of him returning to training at United these past couple of weeks.
Some sources close to him say that he has never been truly happy at United since a protracted transfer pursuit brought the former Manchester City player back to town with United three years ago. Sancho has contributed 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances since then, a disappointing return on United’s investment.
It’s understood that Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain both showed an interest when United signed him. Although PSG were – and still are – an outside bet, the player was attracted by the prospect of joining Liverpool.
When things began to go wrong at United, Bayern Munich are said to have made a move but they wanted to use Sancho as a left wing-back and that wasn’t something that appealed to him.
The England international was revitalised during his loan spell with Dortmund, where he reached the Champions League final
There are those who doubt whether Sancho is built for the relentless demands of the Premier League and is better suited to the Bundesliga. Others would point to his starring role in Dortmund’s win over PSG in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in May as proof of what he can do on the big stage.
The feeling is that United will sell this summer if they get an offer close to the £40m they want. With Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Amad Diallo competing for the wide positions, Sancho is one of the players they would sacrifice to strengthen in other areas.
In the meantime, he was among the 29-man squad that flew out to Los Angeles on Wednesday for the three-game tour of the US. As he prepares to play Arsenal again in the early hours of Sunday morning, Sancho’s future at United remains up in the air.