Is Jadon Sancho playing against Nottingham Forest? Latest news on Man United winger’s comeback
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Manchester United fans could see Jadon Sancho back in a red shirt as soon as tonight against Nottingham Forest.
The Red Devils eased past Burnley in their first game back from the World Cup break with a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory at Old Trafford, and cup wins over Charlton Athletic and Everton followed as part of a nine-game winning run in all competitions that included a 2-1 comeback victory over Manchester City.
That sequence was ended when Crystal Palace held them to a 1-1 draw on January 18 and they were beaten 3-2 by Premier League leaders Arsenal four days later. They returned to winning ways as they eased past Forest 3-0 in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals before a routine 3-1 cup win over Reading.
United winger Jadon Sancho was absent for all of those matches. The winger has completed 90 minutes in the Premier League just once since the start of October and has not played for United since the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on October 22.
He began working individually to regain sharpness during the World Cup and rejoined United team training just days before the Arsenal game. Now, he is back in the matchday squad at last.
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Will Jadon Sancho play against Nottingham Forest?
Sancho was included in the matchday squad for the game against Forest at Old Trafford on February 1.
Manager Erik ten Hag had indicated he could return against Reading but opted to grant the winger a little longer to be ready.
Sancho is on the bench for the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg and will hope to get his first minutes in domestic competition since October.
What’s happening with Jadon Sancho?
Sancho was absent from the United squad for 16 games, including the match against Reading, in all competitions and has only completed 90 minutes once since mid-September.
After being overlooked for England’s World Cup squad, the 22-year-old began training with coaches recommended by United manager Ten Hag in a bid to improve his match sharpness, both physically and mentally. Ten Hag did not put a time frame on his possible return, but Sancho has been training well with the first team since the middle of January.
Sancho’s struggles are notable given the fanfare that greeted his arrival at Old Trafford. United’s attempts to sign Sancho ahead of the 2020/21 season were thwarted by Borussia Dortmund but they returned with an improved offer a year later to sign him for a reported fee of £73 million ($100 million).
After a slow start to the 2021/22 campaign, he ended the season with five goals in all competitions, despite the managerial upheaval at Old Trafford.
The early signs under Ten Hag looked positive, with Sancho starting in United’s first six Premier League games of the season and scoring key goals in wins over Liverpool and Leicester City.
However, a bout of tonsillitis and the arrival of Antony saw him edged out of the starting XI, and his morale took a major blow when he was omitted from England’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar. He then began training individually, following a suggestion from Ten Hag, at Dutch club OJC Rosmalen.
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What has Ten Hag said about Sancho?
Sancho lost his place as a starter under Ten Hag prior to the World Cup, which prompted speculation on his long-term intentions for the former Manchester City youngster.
The Dutch coach hinted at his omission from England’s UEFA Nations League squad in September as a crucial downturn for Sancho as his confidence began to slip.
“Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. He is not currently in the right status or fitness state,” Ten Hag said during the World Cup in December.
“I’ve had several talks with Jadon. He’s on a physical programme and our aim is to get him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.
“At the start of the season, he had goals and assists, but his key moments and key actions became less and less. It’s a combination of physical, but also mental. We’re trying to work and get him back to his best.”
Sancho was not included in United’s World Cup training camp in Spain, instead travelling for a specialist programme in the Netherlands. His progress has been gradual, but Ten Hag has most been positive about his work.
Ten Hag was quizzed about the latest on Sancho following the Burnley win, but he gave a perfunctory reply when he was asked for an update on when Sancho will return to the United fold.
Ten Hag made it clear they will be patient with Sancho, but his comments on January 27 about Sancho’s productive training sessions indicated his return could be soon. He was then named in the squad to face Forest.
Jadon Sancho transfer fee
United’s 2020 interest in Sancho ended when they were unable to agree a fee with Dortmund, who were eager to recoup a significant fee for a player who had shone for three years in the Bundesliga.
Despite the stand-off, United returned with an improved £73m ($100m) offer in July 2021, and Dortmund accepted, with Sancho agreeing a five-year deal at Old Trafford.
The move represented a huge profit for Dortmund. They paid around £8m/$9.6m to bring him in from the Manchester City academy in 2017.
Dortmund have established a policy of looking to sell one key player per season, with Sancho’s 2021 move followed by Erling Haaland joining Manchester City in 2022, and a potential 2023 exit for Sancho’s England teammate Jude Bellingham.
MORE: How World Cup star Bellingham evoked Paul Gascoigne memories for England
Jadon Sancho stats
Sancho has endured a mixed overall career at United, with just eight goals and four assists in 51 appearances across all competitions since the start of 2021/22.
Those numbers show a major dip from his Dortmund days, where Sancho plundered 50 goals and 64 assists in his four seasons in Germany.
In 2022/23, Sancho has scored three goals and set up another in 14 games for United in all competitions. He has been substituted 10 times, the most of anyone under Ten Hag during his early weeks in charge, highlighting his lack of impact in many of his appearances.
However, Sancho has managed an average of 1.69 chances created per 90 minutes, which was a better return than Antony (1.41), Anthony Elanga (1.41), Marcus Rashford (1.14) and Cristiano Ronaldo (1.03), according to Opta data as of December 26.
Will Man United sell Jadon Sancho?
Sancho looks unlikely to leave United despite facing a battle to prove himself to Ten Hag. The club consider him a first-team player — one in whom a significant amount of money has been invested — and the manager is giving him the chance to regain fitness and focus before coming back to push for a return to regular football.
There was speculation United could let Sancho leave on loan in January in a bid to reinvigorate the player, much as they did with Jesse Lingard, who thrived during a spell at West Ham in the second half of 2021/22. However, with Cristiano Ronaldo having left the club, Ten Hag was unwilling to sanction further attacking departures midway through the season, despite the arrival of Wout Weghorst on loan.
Still, if Ten Hag remains unconvinced by the end of the campaign, Sancho could become available for transfer, particularly with United eager to generate extra funds through player sales. The prospect of a return to the Bundesliga, perhaps to Dortmund, could appeal.
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