Big-money Man Utd flop earns second chance after impressing Ten Hag

Robin Bairner

• 24 Jul 2023 22:37 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has proven himself ruthless in the past with players who are unwilling or unable to fit into his system, but the former Ajax manager is set to show his pragmatic side this summer by welcoming a misfit back into the fold.

Jadon Sancho has endured a disappointing two years at Man Utd since arriving from Borussia Dortmund for €85 million, scoring just nine Premier League goals in that period.

There were rumours in January that Sancho was set to be cut loose by Ten Hag after showing a poor level of fitness, and these resurfaced ahead of the summer transfer window.

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Sancho, though, could benefit from the slow pace of the Man Utd takeover process, which has crippled Ten Hag’s hopes of landing key summer transfer targets.

Mason Mount and Andre Onana have joined from Chelsea and Inter Milan respectively, but the manager has not signed the No.9 he craves – and that is where Sancho may have a role to play.

Sancho was used as a false 9 in the weekend friendly against Arsenal, which Man Utd won 2-0 as the England international added to a strike from Bruno Fernandes in the first half.

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Sancho saved?

According to the Manchester Evening News, this ploy was more than a simple stop-gap measure to allow Ten Hag to fill a jersey in a training match – it was a genuine attempt to see if Sancho could play the role of a regular basis.

The 23-year-old, who has a contract until 2026, impressed, with Ten Hag encouraged with what he saw from a player who was previously considered to be a winger. The manager was especially taken with the manner in which his attacker was able to drop into pockets of space and drive forward in possession.

Should Man Utd succeed in landing Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta, Sancho would simply be an alternative in the No.9 role, particularly as Ten Hag is known to prefer a classic style player in that area, but nevertheless, this may be enough to save his Old Trafford career.