Man Utd attacker set for ‘surprise exit’ in January as €80m target will ‘impact his future’

Lewis Oldham
Man Utd winger Sancho

Man Utd attacker Jadon Sancho could reportedly leave the club in January as ‘the jury remains out’ on whether Erik ten Hag can get the best out of him.

Sancho finally got his move to Man Utd last year as the English club paid around £73m to sign him from Borussia Dortmund.

The winger shone for the Bundesliga side over several seasons and he also made an impact in the Champions League.

He has struggled at Man Utd as he has been unable to adapt to life in the Premier League.

Sancho was afforded a fresh start in the summer as Ten Hag took over at Man Utd. The 22-year-old benefitted from this at the start of the season as his form picked up.

This even led to calls that he should be back in contention for England but his form dipped again in the weeks leading up to the World Cup.

He did not travel with the rest of United’s squad for their mid-season camp and Ten Hag has revealed that his player is struggling “physically and mentally”.

”I don’t think he will be back this week, no,” Ten Hag told reporters.

“We want to bring him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.

“Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. We got a drop in quality level and sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it.

“That is what we are doing now to try to get him back there. It is a combination of physical and mental.”

This has fuelled talk that Sancho could leave and he has been linked with Premier League rivals Chelsea.

TEAMtalk transfer expert Graeme Bailey has suggested that Gakpo’s potential arrival could impact Sancho.

“As it stands Erik Ten Hag thinks he can get Jadon Sancho back to his best,” Bailey told TEAMtalk.

“He and his team, including Steve McClaren, have done great work with Marcus Rashford. The jury remains out on whether they can do the same though here.

“United want Sancho to get back to his best, though he’s some way down the pecking order right now.

“Another issue that Sancho will have to contend with could be Cody Gakpo’s potential arrival. That could also impact his future.”

Gakpo has had a great few months and it has now been claimed that he is valued at €80m ahead of January.

TEAMtalk describe Sancho leaving as a potential ‘surprise exit’. Bailey cannot see Sancho leaving permanently but a loan is possible.

“But in terms of an imminent sale, that is an absolute non-starter,” Bailey added.

“However, a loan I can see and maybe a return to the Bundesliga to get his confidence back. There is nowhere in the world where he is held in higher regard than in Germany.”

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