Jadon Sancho returned to United for pre-season training and returned to the Reds shirt against Rangers. His performances have been acceptable, continuing last season's loan spell at Borussia Dortmund, but his future at the club is still up in the air.
The club chose to make the official announcement of his return at the end of work last Friday, apparently in an attempt to reduce the spotlight, when the weekend is approaching and the British media are at their least active. In fact, Jadon Sancho had returned to training last Thursday, which was also a very special day, as England had reached the European Championship final the night before and most of the crowd was watching. So when Sancho returned to Carrington, there was no photographer at the door.
United's official narrative is that Jadon Sancho met with Ten Hag to reflect on his past and the two agreed to put an end to it and look forward. However, the club officially refused to respond to whether Sancho had apologized to the 54-year-old Netherlands manager, and it is certain that he has not publicly apologized for his past behavior. The club also did not confirm whether Jadon Sancho will remain or be sold.
Manchester United previously activated Ten Hag's one-year right of first refusal after announcing his stay, in order to ensure that he still has authority in the dressing room. However, if Sancho returns, and without an apology, the manager's authority will be challenged once again. That is, after a public altercation with the manager, Sancho could be back in the team even without an apology, and Sancho could become Ten Hag's Pogba.
Ten Hag is unlikely to be a Ferdin, but United must at least ensure that the manager has authority close to that of the old man. In October 2010, Wayne Rooney publicly expressed his desire to move to Manchester City, but he later made an exception to keep him, and the Red Devils continued to win the title. However, that was a rare exception, and Sancho's ability and role were not up to Rooney's.
United may be reluctant to lower Sancho's £40 million asking price, and while he has done well since loaning out Borussia Dortmund, the high weekly salary of more than £300,000 has left any potential buyer hesitant. Borussia Dort, who once mocked United for demanding an apology from United while on loan at Jadon Sancho: "You all owe him an apology, we are always familiar with his game." However, the Hornets have handed the number 10 worn by Jadon Sancho last season to Julian · Brandt, signaling that the England winger has no chance to "go home".
Juventus are the favourites to bring in Jadon Sancho at the moment, but they are unlikely to pay a transfer fee of 40 million and match a weekly salary of 300,000. On the other hand, the 24-year-old Sancho does not want to take a salary cut, even if he plays as a substitute at Manchester United, or even as a spectator, he can still enjoy the team's maximum salary.
There's still a lot to come between now and United's first round of Premier League fixtures against Fulham in the middle of next month. Maybe Sancho will still be purged, but if he shows up at Old Trafford, the reaction of the fans to him is unpredictable.
Some people were accepted, like David De Gea, who failed to move to Real Madrid, or Anthony Martial, who was confirmed to leave after a long injury, while others were booed, such as Paul Pogba before leaving, or Dean · Henderson, who returned to play at the Theatre of Dreams after moving to Crystal Palace.
If Jadon Sancho stays at United, a number of young players on the wings could be affected. Even someone like Alejandro · Garnacho could be affected by the impact of Sancho's $73 million transfer fee and $300,000 weekly salary.
Manchester United currently have 10 players in their squad entering the final year of their contracts, including · Diallo. The £37million youngster from Atalanta was given some chances at the end of last season. He is already 22 years old and cannot afford to wait any longer, and if Ten Hag is unable to guarantee more playing time, he will almost certainly refuse to renew his contract.
To sum up, the biggest benefit of Sancho's return to training and games is that potential buyers who believe United must sell him cannot use this reason to unbridled their prices. However, if the England winger ends up in the squad, the negative impact on the dressing room may far outweigh the benefits.