Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Game over for £73m Man Utd player Ten Hag is desperate to sell with likely next move revealed

Jadon Sancho pictured with Erik ten Hag and Casemiro

Jadon Sancho pictured with Erik ten Hag and Casemiro

Jadon Sancho has been told his Manchester United career is as good as over and that even the dismissal of Erik ten Hag as manager will not provide him with an Old Trafford lifeline and with talks over his likely next destination set to begin.

The England winger, who turns 24 later this month, has returned to Germany in a bid to rekindle his career with Borussia Dortmund. Sancho made the move after suffering a high-profile falling out with Erik ten Hag that saw the winger isolated from first-team facilities and in a row that split the Manchester United dressing room.

With Sancho accusing his manager of scapegoating him and not being entirely honest over his removal from the squad that lost at Arsenal back in September, the no-nonsense Dutchman chose to make an example of the player in a bid to emphasise his authority.

That ultimately left Sancho kicking his heels on the sidelines, and it was no surprise that a return to former side Dortmund was rubberstamped within days of the January window opening for business.

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However, that only offers United a temporary solution to the problem and, as things stand, he is scheduled to return to Carrington for the start of pre-season training at the beginning of July.

Dortmund, for their part, can feel pretty happy with how the Sancho saga has turned out. They sold him to United for a mammoth £73m in summer 2021 after a prolonged chase by the Red Devils.

And since his return on loan, the 23-times capped England winger has clocked up 428 minutes of action, with one assist to his name so far.

Man Utd make decision on long-term Jadon Sancho future

Dortmund have paid United a loan fee of around €3.5m to bring the 23-year-old back to the Westfalenstadion, with the Bundesliga side also covering around a third of his £250,000 a week wages. Astonishingly, to get the player off their books – for now at least – United are still paying a staggering £166,000 a week – or around £4.2m in wages between now and June 30 – when the deal is due to expire.

By widespread accounts, BVB would love to keep Sancho for the long-term, though as their sporting director Sebastian Kehl testifies, signing him on a permanent deal from United looks tricky at best.

“We will see,” he told Sky Deutschland when asked about the chances of extending Sancho’s stay.

“Realistically, the chance of Sancho playing for Dortmund in the next season isn’t very high.

“There was no possibility, in any form economically feasible for us, to secure an option to buy.”

Nonetheless, regardless of where he ends up next season  – and Juventus are among those seemingly looking at a potential deal – it’s now reported that United have decided that there is no way back for Sancho at Old Trafford.

Reports have suggested that Sancho feels he could yet salvage his career at United with a promising run of form in Germany and, most crucially, if Ten Hag is removed as manager, as widely reported, come the end of the season.

However, HITC claims incoming new sporting director Dan Ashworth has already decided there can be no way back for Sancho, regardless of what Ten Hag’s fate is.

Furthermore, one of Ashworth’s first objectives will be to finalise a long-term plan for Sancho with United and Dortmund officials due to meet in the next few weeks for discussions on his future.

Per the report, Dortmund are not in a position to sign him permanently, but could be offered the chance to extend his loan stint into a second season and throughout the duration of the 2024/25 campaign when they meet to discuss the deal.

Game over for £73m winger at Man Utd

United, though, will only allow that second year on loan to go through if there is an option included to make his stay permanent in summer 2025. That will allow the Bundesliga side to generate the necessary funds, though United accept that they are likely to have to take a massive hit – possible as much as £40m – on the player for a permanent deal to go through.

As it stands, United hope an early agreement can at least present an early solution to a long-standing headache and with the player unlikely to return to Old Trafford regard

That said, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan feels the entire saga has made United look silly and he believes they won’t come out of the episode looking good.

“I don’t think anyone is particularly impressed,” Jordan told talkSPORT in January. “Dortmund might be because they’ve got this relationship with him historically.

“They’ve already trousered £70million from Manchester United and they are getting him back for a fraction of his wages.

“Dortmund have got no skin in this game but those in football will say ‘I’m not quite sure about this player’.”

Discussing United’s poor results when bringing in highly-expensive stars, Jordan added:

“It’s based upon two things,” said Jordan. “Who’s to blame for this culture Man Utd have allowed to develop inside the football club that engenders players with a belief system they can behave the way they do.

“The recruitment policy that’s recruiting players that are clearly not fit for purpose and the fact that Ten Hag is trying to change the direction of travel and is having to break some serious eggs to make an omelette.”

Jordan added: “They sign big-name players on paper, with big attitudes and big outlooks, who are not the right fit for the football club.

“Pogba was let go by Man Utd for a reason. Look at him now. Look at where Sanchez went and what he did.

“He chose Man Utd because they offered more money than Man City. Once upon a time, you chose Man Utd because of the fabric of the football club. They’ve allowed the culture to deteriorate.”

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