According to reports, Jadon Sancho will return to full training, with the rest of his Manchester United teammates, this week. Sancho has not featured for the side since October 22, and went on mental health leave following the World Cup break.
The young forward, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for $100 million in the summer of 2021 (which ranks among the top 20 all-time most expensive transfers) did not make the England squad, and when United training camp reconvened, United boss Erik ten Hag sent him to The Netherlands for an individual training program.
Jadon Sancho is back supporting his side, great to see ??
(via @AlexCTurk) pic.twitter.com/NqxogjkIDq
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 14, 2023
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Training individually, while also making sure to work on getting right mentally during December, Sancho recently returned to the Carrington training complex.
However, he hasn’t been fully re-integrated into the team yet.
That should come in the next day or two, according to United insider “The Muppetiers,” (don’t let the funny name fool you, this guy knows his stuff).
He said via his YouTube channel: “Yesterday, I was told that Jadon Sancho is very close to returning, and he has already taken part in team tactical analysis. He’s due to join team training… it could’ve even been yesterday or today, or very soon, he is set to rejoin team training.
“The expectation is that it will be very soon. In terms of timeline, I believe this week. The expectation is that he should be returning to first-team training in the next few days.”
Jadon Sancho is back supporting his side, great to see ??
(via @AlexCTurk) pic.twitter.com/NqxogjkIDq
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 14, 2023
As you can see above, Sancho was also pictured, by ESPN UK, taking in the Manchester Derby win with his teammates. You almost certainly won’t see Jadon Sancho named to the team tomorrow at Crystal Palace, and it is very unlikely he makes the Arsenal squad on the weekend.
However, he could start playing a role again for the Red Devils starting next week, potentially.
His return would be a huge boost for their title chances, as fixture overload is indeed a problem for them. They are the only English side still alive in all four major competitions so they need some squad rotation here and there.
Plus they have some fitness concerns in attack.
If Ten Hag can indeed do with Jadon Sancho, what he did with Marcus Rashford, he’ll be a very special, elite player.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.