Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hopes Jadon Sancho’s spell with Borussia Dortmund is successful after the winger secured a loan move back to the Bundesliga until the end of this season.
Sancho and Ten Hag had a falling out back in September when the winger refused to apologise for a social-media post in which he claimed he was being made a “scapegoat” by the manager after being left out of the squad against Arsenal. Sancho also said Ten Hag’s explanation that he wasn’t at the the “right level” to be involved was “completely untrue”.
He had since been on the periphery at Old Trafford and has been training with the U18s. The move back to Dortmund will allow him to gain regular competitive football and may reignite interest in the England international, should United want to sell in the future.
Ten Hag addressed Sancho’s departure by saying: “I hope he is doing well. I wish him the best of luck and it will be a success.”
The Dutchman has been reluctant to speak about their rift during Sancho’s four-month absence and quickly shut down further talk about him. Asked what Sancho has to do at Dortmund in order to get back in the United team, Ten Hag replied curtly: "No, I already replied. I think it's enough."
The deal with Dortmund is worth €3.5m which could rise as high as €7.5m depending on how well Sancho plays for the rest of the year, but there is no option or obligation to buy meaning the 23-year-old will come back to Old Trafford.
Speaking about returning to Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, Sancho said: “When I walked into the changing room today, it felt like ‘coming home’. I know the club inside out, I’ve always been very close to the fans here and I’ve never lost contact with the people in charge.
“I can’t wait to see my teammates again, get out on the pitch, play football with a smile on my face, get assists, score goals and help the club qualify for the Champions League.”
