Jadon Sancho is a real asset to Manchester United, however, at present he is not part of the squad.
And that’s absolutely fine. Sancho is taking the time he needs away from the club for his own sake, for his own health.
Crucially, unlike the Cristiano Ronaldo situation in the summer, this is with Manchester United’s full backing.
Sancho has been training individually in the Netherlands, with BBC Sport reporting last month reporting: “Ten Hag felt it was better for Sancho to work away from the remainder of his squad to concentrate on getting his fitness and mindset right.”
Erik ten Hag himself stated: “Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. He was not in the right status or fitness state.”
The situation implied here is that this is a question of mental health as much as it is physical. Sancho should be given the space he needs to get right.
There is no sense in sending him away, and then bringing him back before he is ready. This won’t translate to productive performances on the pitch, which will only set him back to square one.
United want Sancho back when he is ready to make an impact. Sancho will feel the same way, and that should be respected.
Ten Hag stated earlier this month there was no date set on Sancho’s return. So it was disconcerting to see the media get stuck into the winger’s situation on Tuesday.
Leave Jadon Sancho in peace
A series of articles from outlets led with Sancho’s absence from training this week as if it were a surprise. Despite Erik ten Hag stating no target has been set for his return.
From the moment Ten Hag made his comments a week ago, it was never likely he would be in contention for the Carabao Cup tie.
That didn’t stop the media piling in. The MEN led with ‘Jadon Sancho still absent for Manchester United training’, and this subsequently became headline news for The Mail, Talksport, et al.
Why? Why is it news Sancho is ‘still absent’? Will it be news today, when he is not at training? What about tomorrow? Or next week?
How much continued focus will there be, pressuring Sancho to return, adding a spotlight to his time away from the club.
We get it, Sancho cost a lot of money, and there is great interest in when he will be back. But he is a long-term asset for United, under contract to 2027, and the club are taking a long-term strategic decision to get his mental and physical health right.
There does not need to be daily, or weekly updates every time Sancho is not at Carrington.
United have enough players who are. There was a 25-man squad available for the Burnley game, without injured Diogo Dalot, or the two World Cup finalist defenders.
On a day when United had the good news of welcoming the World Cup quarter-finalists back to full training at Carrington, why did the media switch the focus to Sancho?
Sancho will be back when he is ready, when the club consider it the right time, and when the player feels in the right condition to contribute.
That’s when it will be news. Sancho’s return will be worth covering, celebrating even.
Until then, Sancho must be left in peace, leave him be. Ongoing coverage of his health-related, club-approved absence, does not help anybody.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
