Manchester United vs Aston Villa: How Jadon Sancho’s dream at United became a nightmare

The confrontation between Ten Hag and Sancho lasted four months, before Sancho joined Dortmund on loan for the rest of the season and helped them reach the Champions League final.

But they could not afford to keep him, and although United sporting director Dan Ashworth was credited with brokering the truce that allowed Sancho to join United in the 2024 pre-season, it was a temporary situation, which Chelsea appeared to have resolved by agreeing a loan that committed them to a permanent move at the end of the season.

However, after five goals in 41 games, Chelsea opted to pay a £5m fine to bring Sancho back to Old Trafford.

This time, there was no olive branch. Sancho was placed in Ruben Amorim’s ‘Bomb Squad’ and had to train away from the first team until he joined Villa on 1 September.

United have an option to activate an additional year on Sancho’s contract, which expires in the summer. In public, they maintain their position on this. No one expected this to happen.

At 25 years old, Sancho still has a lot to offer. There have been glimpses of quality during his time at Villa, but it is by no means certain that he will remain there after the end of the season.

“Seeing Jadon up close, technically, he has a very great amount of ability,” said Michael Carrick, United’s current interim coach, who worked with Sancho as part of Solskjaer’s team behind the scenes and managed him in three games during his short tenure after the Norwegian was sacked.

“In and around the box, his carrying of the ball, his little plays, his communication, his creativity, the way he handles the ball – he has natural ability.

“He was always going all the way through it. That’s part of football.

“But – and I’m not talking about Jadon individually on this – it is as it is and how it should be.

“You can’t assume that everything will be smooth. It has been proven that this is not always the case.

“You have to find a way around that problem. If you’re playing in a good team with good players, a good squad and depth, that’s part of the challenge of staying at the top.”