Pundit gives verdict on if Jadon Sancho can find a route back into Ten Hag's plans at Manchester United
ESPN pundit Nedum Onuoha has given his verdict on whether Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho can still make his way back into the team amid his long-standing feud with manager Erik ten Hag this season. Onuoha believes there is no way back for the English attacker.
Jadon Sancho has been frozen out at Manchester United after falling out with Erik ten Hag following the manager's criticism of his effort in training after the team's 3-1 defeat at Arsenal. Sancho had posted on social media, indirectly accusing the manager of not being honest about his absence from the squad but deleted the same story later.
Since then, Sancho has not made the squad on a single match day for the Red Devils. The player has allegedly spent the last couple of weeks away from the rest of the group and is reportedly set to be offloaded in the winter transfer window.
However, a recent report from Daily Star suggested that Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is expected to purchase a minority stake at the club in the coming days, would demand that Sancho and Ten Hag make up behind the scenes.
Reacting to the report, Nedum Onuoha stated that he's not a fan of such an idea as it would undermine the manager's authority within the dressing room. The former Manchester City defender further expressed that he considers the attacker's return into the side unlikely.
“To be honest if Ratcliffe does takeover, I don’t like the idea of him being able to decide what the manager does with players,” the pundit said on ESPN (via United In Focus).
"I’d imagine Sancho is desperate to play for United but it will be interesting to see how this argument resolves. Does Ten Hag and Sancho shake hands and make up it seems unlikely. It’s not that simple and there’s no guarantee he will start for United.
“Does this undermine Ten Hag’s original statement if he is brought back? I think bringing back Sancho, because of Ratcliffe’s alleged involvement, would undermine the manager’s authority within the group massively,” he added.
Sancho has played three Premier League games this season, failing to register any goals or assists.
Jadon Sancho closing in on Manchester United departure
Despite some rumors that have circulated in the last few days, the popular opinion suggests that Jadon Sancho isn't getting any closer to staying put at Manchester United.
According to credible transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the attacker will be offloaded in January if things go well. The Italian has revealed that Juventus have shown interest in signing him but will need a workaround to make it happen due to their financial situation.
A return to Borussia Dortmund has also been mooted for Jadon Sancho but nothing concrete has developed so far while interest is also said to be coming from Saudi Arabia. It remains to be seen what will eventually happen with the Manchester United star in January.
United reportedly paid £73 million to Borussia Dortmund to sign the English winger in 2021. Sancho has registered 12 goals and six assists in 82 games for the Red Devils.