Manchester United face a massive Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday amid a gruelling run of key games.Will Jadon Sancho play against Arsenal?
The Red Devils eased past Burnley in their first game back from the World Cup break with a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory at Old Trafford — a positive result and performance as Erik ten Hag looks to build momentum for the coming months.
Important cup wins over Charlton Athletic and Everton followed as part of a nine-game winning run in all competitions that included a 2-1 comeback victory over Manchester City. That sequence was ended when Crystal Palace held them to a 1-1 draw on January 18.
United winger Jadon Sancho was absent for all of those matches. The winger has completed 90 minutes in the Premier League just once since the start of October and has not been in the United matchday squad since the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on October 22.
He has been working individually to regain sharpness since the start of the World Cup and rejoined United team training this week, just days before the Arsenal game.
Will Jadon Sancho play against Arsenal?
United manager Erik ten Hag was asked about Sancho’s possible return following the draw with Palace at Selhurst Park.
When quizzed on whether Sancho could be in the matchday squad for the game at the Emirates Stadium, Ten Hag replied: “I can’t answer that question.
“He’s making the next step. Yesterday [Tuesday], for the first time, he was in team training. Team training is the final training before a game, so we will extend that in the coming days, [the] coming week, and then go step by step.”
It seems most likely than Sancho’s comeback will be in the Carabao Cup first leg against Nottingham Forest or the FA Cup fourth-round match at home to Reading, both of which are next week.
What’s happening with Jadon Sancho?
Sancho has not been in the squad for United’s past 12 games in all competitions and has only completed 90 minutes once since mid-September.
After being overlooked for England’s World Cup squad, the 22-year-old began training with coaches recommended by United manager Ten Hag in a bid to improve his match sharpness, both physically and mentally. There is not yet any certainty over when he will be back in the first team, although he is back in first-team training in Manchester.
Sancho’s struggles are notable given the fan-fair that greeted his arrival at Old Trafford. United’s attempts to sign Sancho ahead of the 2020/21 season were thwarted by Borussia Dortmund but they returned with an improved offer a year later to sign him for a reported fee of £73 million ($100 million).
After a slow start to the 2021/22 campaign, he ended the season with five goals in all competitions, despite the managerial upheaval at Old Trafford.
The early signs under Ten Hag looked positive, with Sancho starting in United’s first six Premier League games of the season and scoring key goals in wins over Liverpool and Leicester City.
However, a bout of tonsillitis and the arrival of Antony saw him edged out of the starting XI, and his morale took a major blow when he was omitted from England’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar. He then began training individually, following a suggestion from Ten Hag, at Dutch club OJC Rosmalen.
What has Ten Hag said about Sancho?
Sancho lost his place as a starter under Ten Hag prior to the World Cup, which prompted speculation on his long-term intentions for the former Manchester City youngster.
The Dutch coach hinted at his omission from England’s UEFA Nations League squad in September as a crucial downturn for Sancho as his confidence began to slip.
“Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. He is not currently in the right status or fitness state,” Ten Hag said during the World Cup in December.
“I’ve had several talks with Jadon. He’s on a physical programme and our aim is to get him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.
“At the start of the season, he had goals and assists, but his key moments and key actions became less and less. It’s a combination of physical, but also mental. We’re trying to work and get him back to his best.”
Sancho was not included in United’s World Cup training camp in Spain, instead travelling for a specialist programme in the Netherlands. His progress has been gradual, but Ten Hag has most been positive about his work.
Ten Hag was quizzed about the latest on Sancho following the Burnley win, but he gave a perfunctory reply when he was asked for an update on when Sancho will return to the United fold.
Asked whether he’d be in contention to play against Nottingham Forest in their Premier League return on December 27, he added: “I don’t think so.” Ten Hag has since made it clear they will be patient with Sancho, although his return to team training is clearly a positive development.
Jadon Sancho transfer fee
United’s 2020 interest in Sancho ended when they were unable to agree a fee with Dortmund, who were eager to recoup a significant fee for a player who had shone for three years in the Bundesliga.
Despite the stand-off, United returned with an improved £73m ($100m) offer in July 2021, and Dortmund accepted, with Sancho agreeing a five-year deal at Old Trafford.
The move represented a huge profit for Dortmund. They paid around £8m/$9.6m to bring him in from the Manchester City academy in 2017.
Dortmund have established a policy of looking to sell one key player per season, with Sancho’s 2021 move followed by Erling Haaland joining Manchester City in 2022, and a potential 2023 exit for Sancho’s England teammate Jude Bellingham.
Jadon Sancho stats
Sancho has endured a mixed overall career at United, with just eight goals and four assists in 51 appearances across all competitions since the start of 2021/22.
Those numbers show a major dip from his Dortmund days, where Sancho plundered 50 goals and 64 assists in his four seasons in Germany.
In 2022/23, Sancho has scored three goals and set up another in 14 games for United in all competitions. He has been substituted 10 times, the most of anyone under Ten Hag, highlighting his lack of impact in many of his appearances.
However, Sancho has managed an average of 1.69 chances created per 90 minutes, which was a better return than Antony (1.41), Anthony Elanga (1.41), Marcus Rashford (1.14) and Cristiano Ronaldo (1.03), according to Opta data as of December 26.
Will Man United sell Jadon Sancho?
Sancho looks unlikely to leave United in the January window despite facing a battle to prove himself to Ten Hag. United consider him a first-team player — one in whom a significant amount of money has been invested — and the manager is giving him the chance to regain fitness and focus before coming back to push for a return to regular football.
There has been speculation United could let Sancho leave on loan in January in a bid to reinvigorate the player, much as they did with Jesse Lingard, who thrived during a spell at West Ham in the second half of 2021/22. However, with Cristiano Ronaldo having left the club, Ten Hag is unlikely to sanction further attacking departures midway through the season unless he can bring in replacements.
Still, if Ten Hag remains unconvinced by the end of the campaign, Sancho could become available for transfer, particularly with United eager to generate extra funds through player sales. The prospect of a return to the Bundesliga, perhaps to Dortmund, could appeal.