Jadon Sancho: How dream Man Utd move turned into nightmare

The standoff between Ten Hague and Sancho lasted four months, before Sancho joined Dortmund on loan for the rest of the season and helped them reach the Champions League final.

But they could not keep hold of him and although United sporting director Dan Ashworth was credited with brokering a truce to allow Sancho to join United in the 2024 pre-season, it was a temporary situation, which Chelsea A permanent move at the end of the season appears to have been resolved by agreeing to a loan commitment to them.

Yet, after five goals in 41 appearances, Chelsea Prefer to pay a £5m fine to send Sancho back to Old Trafford.

This time there were no olive branches. Sancho was placed in Ruben Amorim’s ‘Bomb squad’ and had to train away from the first team until he joined Villa on 1 September.

Now United have decided not to trigger the one-year option.

At 25, Sancho still has a lot to offer. He had flashes of quality during his time at Villa, but was introduced off the bench in the last nine minutes of the Europa League final win over Freiburg on 20 May.

“Watching Jadon close-up, technically, he has a lot of ability,” United’s current interim head coach Michael Carrick said when asked about Sancho in March.

Carrick worked with Sancho as part of Solskjaer’s backroom team and managed him in three games during his short spell in charge following the Norwegian’s sacking.

“In and around the box; his carrying of the ball; his short game; his connections; his creativity; the way he handles the ball – he has natural ability,” said Carrick.

“He’s always been there all the time. It’s part of football.

“But – and I’m not talking about Jadon individually – this is just how it is and how it should be.

“You can’t just assume that it’s all going to be smooth sailing. It turns out that’s not always the case.

“You have to find a way through it. If you’re playing in a good team with good players and a good squad and depth, that’s part of the challenge.”