Reports: Borussia Dortmund to make January move for Jadon Sancho
Borussia Dortmund are preparing a move for Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho in January, as per latest reports from ESPN.
The 23-year-old has been banished from the Red Devils setup since the start of the current season, after falling out with manager Erik ten Hag. Amongst the many things he’s stirred up at Old Trafford, Ten Hag hasn’t shied away from offloading those who don’t buy into the culture he wishes to create within the club.
And he certainly hasn’t cut Sancho any slack, lamenting his unprofessionalism vocally as well as highlighting his subpar training standards.
“I prepare my team the best I can. I put all my effort into the players who are available. He is not available, so in this moment, he is not important, because he can’t contribute. With fans it’s the talk, with you [the media] it’s the talk but with the players it is not the talk,” said Ten Hag, when asked about Sancho’s place in his roster.
Sancho is on the periphery of the squad after refusing to write an apology to his manager. The relationship turned bitter after a deleted post by him read:
“Please don’t believe everything you read. I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself very well in training this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!”
Sources believe the United staff and senior team members haven’t supported Sancho either, leaving him as an ostracized figure within the unit. After scoring a half-century of goals in Borussia Dortmund colors, Sancho returned home in a £73 million move to Manchester United.
But he’s thus far been a shadow of the player he was in his teens, managing just nine goals across 58 Premier League appearances. Three of them came as a substitute in the opening three fixtures, after which he hasn’t featured for the club.
The Bundesliga giants are ready to offer Sancho an escape route, despite his substantial wages. The move could materialize as early as the January transfer window, with the club most likely to listen to offers.
With the 23-time capped England international not included in team photos either, it appears as though the union between player and club is all but over.
Ten Hag doesn’t want him near his roster, the player doesn’t want to apologize, and Manchester United need to find an answer and clear their wage bill. As it stands, a move to Dortmund, should it be formalized, could be the best solution for all parties involved.
Sancho could depart on a cut-rate deal as he seeks to revive his career and a place back in Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of Euros 2024.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ardfern. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.