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Manchester United may have returned to winning ways in the Premier League but manager Erik ten Hag still has a lot of problems to solve in the coming days.
Injuries have played a major part in his team’s stuttering start to the campaign while he is also having to deal with various off-the-field issues.
Antony is staying back in Brazil, dealing with domestic violence allegations and there is no definite timeline as to when he will return to Manchester.
Sancho acting like a petulant child
Jadon Sancho is a whole different ball game altogether. The English winger, who was called out by the manager for his below-par training displays, has been banished from the first team.
And for good reason. His camp first accused the manager of preferential treatment against him while also stating in a social media statement that he was being made a scapegoat.
Despite the manager backing him last season, the 23-year-old refused to bow down and apologise and instead has been caught missing training and playing EA FC 24 instead late into the night.
It seems Sancho has no intention of trying to buckle down and work hard for his place and this could indicate a January move could be in the offing.
The likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Barcelona have been linked with a move while Saudi Arabian clubs are also expected to come back after Al Ettifaq narrowly missed out on a deal this summer.
United are open to selling Sancho to the highest bidder and while former club Borussia Dortmund have excused themselves from the race, Jose Mourinho‘s AS Roma are the newest entrants.
Roma eyeing January swoop for Sancho
This latest update comes from outlet Il Romanista who have claimed that the Serie A side are ‘monitoring’ the situation around the 23-year-old and Roma could “go on the attack” in January.
“There was no about-face on the part of the English striker, who asked for immediate reinstatement, alternatively a transfer in January, without seeking any clarification with the Dutch coach.
“So the Red Devils will try to sell him to the highest bidder, at least to reduce the costs of a very high salary. Obviously, the economic costs don’t give Roma much chance, but it had to be like this for Lukaku too, and we all know how it ended.”
This suggests that Roma will try and agree a loan deal while ideally, United would like to sell to the highest bidder. A loan without an obligation to buy will be the last resort from the Red Devils considering the player’s high wages.
Whether clubs will have the budget for a major acquisition in January remains to be seen.