Ten Hag: Sancho could start season as striker

Erik ten Hag has suggested that Jadon Sancho could start the season as Manchester United’s central striker to fill in for the injured Rasmus Hojlund.

Hojlund is set to miss six weeks with a hamstring injury suffered during the first game of the U.S. tour against Arsenal. In his absence, Sancho, brought back into the squad following a 10-month exile, was deployed as the No. 9 in Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over Real Betis and Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool. And Ten Hag says he could start at centre-forward against Manchester City next week in the Community Shield, and against Fulham on the opening weekend of the Premier League season ahead of new signing Joshua Zirkzee.

“Yes, otherwise we wouldn’t play with him there,” said Ten Hag when asked whether Sancho could start up front against City at Wembley.

“That is what we can do if we don’t have the availability of Rasmus, but of course, Joshua Zirkzee, he is coming in, he has started training, but also consider that he is not so long in training, so that will take time, and he has to adapt to English football and our way of playing as well.

“There is also, of course, Jadon, as a striker. We know he can play in wide areas, but also as a false striker, he’s an option.”

Zirkzee, a £36.5 million signing from Bologna, is yet to train with the squad after returning to Carrington after his summer break rather than join the American tour. Sancho, back at United after spending the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, has not scored a competitive goal for the club since May 2023.

Marcus Rashford is another option to fill the void left by Hojlund, but Ten Hag hinted the England forward will stay in his usual role on the left.

“I think that Marcus has done it [played as a striker] before and he can do it, and it’s definitely an option,” said Ten Hag.

“But I think he is most productive from the left, starting wide and coming inside. So when he can arrive there, he is most effective. We have other options. We have Bruno Fernandes who can play as a striker as well.”

United struggled for goals last season, finding the net 57 times in the Premier League to finish the campaign as the joint-lowest scorers in the top half.

Ten Hag’s team also missed chances in the defeat to Liverpool in South Carolina on Saturday with Sancho, Rashford, Scott McTominay and Mason Mount all guilty of missing good opportunities.

“Liverpool played well and took their chances,” said Ten Hag. “We also created good chances, but we didn’t take them. We need to be more clinical there and efficient.

“I think in the end it’s like fatigue. We have been here [in the U.S.] for 12 or 13 days and, in the end, it was a tough game and maybe you miss the freshness and don’t have the power to be clinical.”