Manchester United has reportedly reached a decision regarding Jadon Sancho’s contract with the club.
The 23-year-old has been absent from play since August following a public fallout with manager Erik ten Hag.
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Sancho was excluded from the matchday squad in September’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal after Ten Hag questioned his commitment in training.
That evening, the winger, in a now-deleted social media statement, asserted he had been unfairly targeted as a ‘scapegoat.’
He has chosen not to apologize to Ten Hag and has been training separately from the first team, utilizing different facilities than his teammates.
There seems to be no reconciliation for Sancho, who earns over £200,000-per-week at Old Trafford.
Despite links to various continental clubs and even a potential move to the Saudi Pro League, there has been minimal concrete interest from these sides.
In the previous month, Sky Sports reported that United had considered terminating Sancho’s contract in an effort to adopt a more decisive stance against player influence.
A recent report from The Athletic now confirms that United has ruled out the possibility of paying off Sancho.
The English international, who joined United from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 for £73 million, would pose a significant Financial Fair Play setback if his contract were terminated.
United would be obligated to pay Sancho the remainder of his contract, which extends until 2026, and they would be unable to depreciate his book value in their accounts.
Sancho’s absence coincides with a challenging period for United in attack. The team has scored only 22 goals in the Premier League, with Scott McTominay leading the charts with five goals.
Among the forwards, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have three goals each, while Rasmus Hojlund and Anthony Martial have scored one. Antony and Facundo Pellistri are yet to open their accounts for the campaign.
Following a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening, United currently sits in seventh place in the Premier League.
Ten Hag said post-match: “First half performance was okay. We invested to do less in the final third. I think we should have created more.
“The second half we had moments when we conceded goals. Then we come back in the game and I think the game was ours and we went for 2-1 and then we conceded.
“We had our moments but it was not good enough to win here. We know that. We have to make our performances consistent and have to do better. A game is 90 minutes and we have to invest from the first minute on.”
