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Jadon Sancho’s relationship with Erik ten Hag appears far from fully repaired as the star forward faces an uncertain future heading into the final days of the transfer window.
The summer started with Ten Hag confirming he and Sancho have decided to put to bed their highly-publicised feud upon the player’s return from Borussia Dortmund.
The United gaffer handed the 24-year-old plenty of game-time during pre-season, but as soon as the season kick-started, Sancho once again found himself away from the action.
In the Community Shield, the Dutchman handed more minutes to Alejandro Garnacho than Sancho. The Argentine only returned to Carrington a few days earlier, without any pre-season football.
Against Fulham, Sancho was excluded from the matchday squad altogether. Ten Hag mentioned his ear infection as one of the reasons before insisting it was a selection call. According to The Athletic, the Englishman did not react very positively to his manager’s decision.
It is understood Sancho reacted to Ten Hag’s call by “reaffirming his desire to” depart Old Trafford. Further, despite being present in the dressing room before kick-off, he was not seen following the game from the directors’ box alongside other unselected teammates last Friday.
Whether the versatile forward has once again been exiled from the United boss’s ranks remains unclear, and the man at the helm did not do much to quash the suggestions in his press conference before the Brighton and Hove Albion outing.
When asked about his availability, Ten Hag said: “We will see. We have a squad, I hope we will have a squad with double positioning and when we go into the season after September 1, that means you can’t select all the players but you need them all throughout the season.
“We have to manage it, the attitude of the players is very important, sometimes they will be disappointed they have to deal with it, you win as a squad.”
Amid this, Juventus have knocked on United’s doors to explore the possibility of taking Sancho to Turin.
The Athletic claims the Serie A giants are in talks with United, although the negotiations concerning financial terms are expected to be difficult.
The Premier League giants have demanded a £40 million transfer fee all summer. Juventus appear to be his most likely destination at this stage of the window, but it remains to be seen if they will get closer to United’s valuation, having “stepped up communication.”
United prefer to cut ties with Sancho permanently. As such, a loan proposal without favourable terms is expected to be turned down despite the England international’s wish to exit.
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