In the friendly match against Rangers, Man United had a much more impressive performance than the loss to Rosenborg. Leny Yoro had a promising start when the French midfielder showed confidence and proved why the "Red Devils" spent 70 million pounds to recruit. However, the biggest attention belongs to Erik ten Hag's two wing strikers.
Jadon Sancho appeared in the Man United squad for the first time after nearly 11 months since the conflict between the English star and captain Erik ten Hag occurred. The 24-year-old striker returned to Carrington and was reintegrated into the first team after meeting with the Dutch coach.
Sancho's performance in 45 minutes against Rangers was what Ten Hag expected. The English star has skillful touches in tight spaces, creates dangerous combinations in the penalty area and makes a few passes that lead to big opportunities. The only shortcoming of the striker born in 2000 is his ability to finish.
Ten Hag has publicly talked about Sancho twice since Man United reunited. The 54-year-old strategist affirmed that he had outlined a specific plan for his student. Besides, the former Ajax coach always wants to emphasize the message that the conflict between the two sides has been completely resolved.
“Anyone can make mistakes. If the players think carefully enough, I will chart a path and continue to move forward together" - Ten Hag shared.
Currently, Man United has recruited Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee for a total value of nearly 100 million pounds. Therefore, the "Red Devils" need to sell to continue shopping. Therefore, Jadon Sancho's future is still unclear until the season starts or a specific announcement from the team's leadership.
Previously, the Old Trafford team valued the English star at 40 million pounds. However, they have not received an offer yet. Part of the reason is because Sancho is one of the players with the highest salary on the team. However, with an impressive performance against Rangers, the English star may stay and start a new chapter at Man United.
Sancho's only problem will be the level of competition around him. In particular, Amad Diallo - one of the players looking for a position in the squad, had a brilliant performance in the recent friendly match. The Ivory Coast star impressed with his beautiful goal and dynamism on the right wing. Previously, the former Atalanta player had a series of 3 consecutive starting matches at the end of the last Premier League season.
“During the end of last season, Amad showed his ability. Next season must be his" - Ten Hag shared after the match with Rangers.
With the emergence of Amad and Sancho's return to the first team, Man United suddenly have a lot of options on the wing. Marcus Rashford and Antony missed the trip to Scotland due to minor injuries. Alejandro Garnacho is resting after Argentina's success at Copa America 2024 and is expected to return before the English Super Cup match against Man City.
Ten Hag has 5 ambitious players and is ready to fight for a regular position on the wings. Garnacho and Rashford were the top choices last season, Amad also improved with each match.
The captain of the "Red Devils" believes that Amad can play in any position on the offensive line, even as a striker if necessary. Sancho has also shown similar versatility under Ten Hag, having been deployed on both wings and centrally in the previous two seasons. However, the British star's main position is still left wing striker.
Ten Hag said changes to the format of European competitions will make squad depth more important than ever this season. In that respect, playing minutes will certainly need to be divided equally. This shows that opportunities will come to each individual.
