Erik ten Hag was all smiles as he welcomed Jadon Sancho back into the fold during Manchester United 's win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
The Red Devils eased past Forest in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, completing a 5-0 win on aggregate. The clash at Old Trafford also marked Sancho's first appearance since before the World Cup.
He has spent time away from Old Trafford in recent months before returning to first-team training in January. After building himself back into Ten Hag's plans, Sancho finally made his long-awaited return to a matchday squad for the visit of Forest.
With the game goalless heading past the hour mark, Ten Hag opted to bring on Sancho as part of a triple change. As Sancho prepared to enter the pitch, he could be seen smiling with the United boss.
It is a clear indication that Ten Hag sees Sancho as part of his plans, having clearly been delighted at seeing the winger return. In his 27 minutes on the pitch, Sancho had 15 touches, with a 79 per cent pass completion rate.
The Englishman will hope to be involved again on Saturday when United host Crystal Palace in the Premier League. And Ten Hag revealed his delight at seeing Sancho finally return to the fold.
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"I thought it was great, the fans they gave him love and I think he enjoyed it. He enjoyed it, to be back on the pitch. I've seen in the last couple of weeks at Carrington smiling," the Dutchman said.
"I hope he can keep the process going and have a huge contribution to the season. With Jadon, I know he can play as a no.10 as well, he can play as a winger, he can play as a no.10. But I think we mix it around often and that is what I like.
"But the position has to be occupied, it is about that. And players have to keep the discipline to do that, otherwise it is going to be a mess. I think it was professional how we played, but the tempo was too low, too slow and we didn't create chances.
"I think we needed the impact from the bench today. Also, the first 15 minutes after half-time, the tempo was higher and we created some chances. What's true is the subs came on with a different dynamic, also bringing Bruno [Fernandes] out to the right, a different dynamic making it difficult for an opponent to defend.”
Sancho scored three goals and notched one assist in his 14 appearances in the first-half of the season. He entered Wednesday's game alongside Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, with that duo combining for United's first goal.
Rashford also notched the assist for Fred's win-sealing strike with 14 minutes remaining. United will now face Newcastle in the final, with the Red Devils hoping to end their six-year trophy drought.
