Jadon Sancho will not take part in Manchester United’s trip to Spain to face Cadiz and Real Betis.
The club announced the travelling squad this morning but the England man has not been included, much to the surprise of fans hoping that it would be a chance to relaunch his faltering season.
The club’s official site notes that “Jadon Sancho is continuing his individual training programme as part of a process to get back to his highest level.
“The club is fully supporting him in this.”
The statement is curious in itself as it begs the question as to why does the club deems it necessary to say that it is supporting him. There is perhaps a hint that the situation goes beyond a simple injury.
Sancho is not even listed as injured on sites such as Premierinjuries.com.
In better news, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams are fit enough to join in the camp, although Axel Tuanzebe is still unavailable as he too works on a personal fitness programme.
The full squad is: Goalkeepers: De Gea, Heaton, Bishop, Dubravka.
Defenders: Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka, Williams, Mengi, Bernard, Jurado, Hardley, Bennett, Oyedele, Murray, Fredricson.
Midfielders: Van de Beek, McTominay, Savage, Iqbal, Hansen, Gore, Mainoo.
Forwards: Martial, Elanga, Shoretire, Garnacho, Hugill, McNeill, Emeran.
The first of the two games against Cadiz takes place on Wednesday at 19:00 GMT.
The match with Real Betis follows at 17:00 GMT on Saturday 10 December.