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The most unexpected saga to arise out of Manchester United’s lukewarm start to the season has been Jadon Sancho’s exclusion from the team against Arsenal.
Erik ten Hag said it was based on the player’s lacklustre training performance, and the player hit back saying he has been made a “scapegoat”.
Suddenly, the prospects of the English forward look bleak at the club unless this issue is resolved.
Meanwhile, other clubs are on high alert, monitoring the situation with a view to making a move for him if the matter escalates.
The Sun reports that one such club is Borussia Dortmund.
Sancho’s old club, where he made his name as one of Europe’s premier talents, could offer to take the player back on loan in the January transfer window.
The report states that an approach from the German club was also rebuffed in the recently finished window.
At the time, it was understandable, since Sancho was in the process of rediscovering himself as a “False 9”. Since then, nothing has gone right for the player.
Therefore, if the impasse with the coach isn’t resolved, they could strike again in January.
However, the big stumbling block remains in Sancho’s wages, a common theme with any contract signed under Ed Woodward.
Sancho is reportedly on upwards of £300k/week, a figure no other club in world football would agree to pay for the current version of the player.
Therefore, if a loan move is to be agreed upon, United would have to pay the majority of that pay packet.
That is hardly an ideal scenario for the club, who have already seen Harry Maguire stay at the club after they didn’t agree to do a pay-off to sell him due to him taking a pay cut in any prospective move.
As it stands, perhaps the best thing could be that the issue is resolved and Sancho turns a new chapter on his floundering United spell so far.