Jadon Sancho’s challenging stint at Manchester United seems poised for a temporary resolution, with Borussia Dortmund nearing a loan deal for the talented winger.
Dortmund was the stage where Sancho initially made a significant impact on European football, and he likely has a strong desire to return to Signal Iduna Park in an attempt to rejuvenate his stagnant career.
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United acquired the England international for £73 million in 2021, but his on-field performance has fallen short of expectations at Old Trafford.
Nevertheless, the start of this season brought off-field challenges as Sancho openly responded to manager Erik ten Hag, who had expressed dissatisfaction with the winger’s training performance.
Taking to social media in response, Sancho wrote: “Please don’t believe everything you read. I will not allow people saying things that [are] completely untrue… I have conducted myself in training very well this week.
“I believe there are other reasons for this matter which I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair! All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to the team.
“I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!”
The remarks caused a stir at United, resulting in Sancho’s exclusion from the first-team setup. These comments date back to September, and the 23-year-old hasn’t featured in a United shirt since then.
Former Red Devil Gordon Strachan, at that time, cautioned Sancho about the importance of handling criticism and cultivating resilience if he aimed to revive his career at United.
“First of all, I think that Jadon Sancho needs to understand that Erik ten Hag hasn’t sat down and started talking about the player of his own accord,” said Strachan to gamblingzone.com.
“He’s simply answering a question from a reporter. Players always want the truth from their manager.
“In this instance, Erik ten Hag has answered the question honestly and the player hasn’t liked his response, but Jadon needs to learn to handle the truth. I think, in hindsight, Ten Hag will look back and regret saying what he did through the media and it would have been more effective telling him face-to-face to avoid what we’ve got now.
“However, Jadon needs to look at himself and figure out what he’s doing wrong, rather than feeling as though he’s being attacked. Of course, we don’t know the whole story, but that’s how I see it from the outside. The first thing I would say to a player is ‘Have a look at yourself’. Look at yourself before anybody else, it’s as simple as that.”
Sancho appeared to disregard the advice, leading to a prolonged fallout from his disagreement with Ten Hag.
As a consequence, the winger had to train separately from the first team and was denied the opportunity to have lunch with his teammates at the Carrington training complex.
Now, after four months of turmoil, he is on the brink of a loan move back to Dortmund in an effort to earn a place in the England squad for Euro 2024. Despite Sancho initially leaning towards a permanent departure, the German club couldn’t meet his wage demands.
