There is not an obvious role for Jadon Sancho in Manchester United’s 3-5-2 system.
The formation may well be scrapped after Manchester City pulled United apart on Saturday, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has used it in the last three matches.
We wrote about three ways that Sancho could adjust to fit into the setup earlier this month.
Playing up front or as a number ten would be the more natural approach, but we did not rule out playing as a wing-back.
And that is apparently what Solskjaer is considering doing now, according to a report by the Athletic.
They say that he has been training in that role at times since the switch to 3-5-2.
Concerns over Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s attacking output could apparently see Sancho fielded in that role against weaker opposition.
But that is not how anyone imagined the two-year pursuit of one of world football’s best young wingers playing out.
Sancho has not started on the right of United’s frontline yet since his arrival, which was the role he was most likely brought to fill.
The report also outlines the other struggles Sancho has faced since coming to United.
He had an ear problem when he first joined, which means he was more ill than was reported at the time.
He also had a calf problem, which has contributed to his slow start. So has Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival, which has shunted Mason Greenwood back out to the right in place of Sancho.
But it feels like a huge waste of Sancho’s talent to have him training as a wing-back, and another example of United’s lack of a clear, coherent, long-term plan.
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