Jadon Sancho's return to the first team at Manchester United comes as the Red Devils look to find a new home for the England winger.
Sancho left Old Trafford to join Chelsea on loan on the final day of the 2024 summer transfer window. The deal includes a clause that allows the Stamford Bridge club to buy Sancho outright for £20-25 million next summer. This could end the 24-year-old's underwhelming spell at Old Trafford as United are prepared to take a financial hit to get rid of him.
Sancho's days in Manchester appeared to be over after he publicly clashed with manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman then dropped Sancho from the first team, leading to the player joining Dortmund on loan.
Sancho returned this summer, featuring in a number of pre-season games. However, the BBC reported that the compromise to bring Sancho back was just a plan to get the 24-year-old back in top shape. This would make it easier for the Red Devils to sell the England striker.
Last season, when Sancho returned to Germany, he needed to get up to speed to play regularly after months without playing due to disagreements with Ten Hag.
Notably, after returning to Man United , Sancho missed an important penalty in the penalty shootout against Manchester City in the Community Shield. This was the "last straw", thereby accelerating Sancho's departure.
Juventus were among the clubs who had expressed interest in Sancho this summer, but Chelsea were the final destination. Surprisingly, Ten Hag had suggested not long ago that Sancho was more likely to stay at Old Trafford than leave.
The Dutch tactician said he would be happy to have Sancho in his squad, despite the striker being left out of both of his opening Premier League games.
"Sancho is a player in our squad and we are happy with him. We need a good squad, we need depth. We have to play a lot of games until January. After the break, we play a game every three days so we need to have options," said Ten Hag.
Sancho cost United over £70m when he signed from Dortmund in the summer of 2021. However, the 24-year-old has failed to replicate his impressive form at Signal Iduna Park. The winger needed several months before scoring his first goal and managed just 12 goals during his time at Old Trafford.
