"This club needs good players, and one thing is for sure: Jadon is a terribly good player," Erik ten Hag said before Manchester United's pre-season win over Rangers in July. "I hope that the click still comes and that he will contribute to our success."
Ten Hag also insisted he had "drawn a line" under his differences with Jadon Sancho, who was loaned back to Borussia Dortmund after publicly criticising the Dutchman at the start of the 2023-24 campaign. Sancho reminded the world what he is capable of during his six-month spell with BVB, which should have been enough to earn him a clean slate at Old Trafford, where he is still under contract until 2026.
But so far, Sancho hasn't been given a chance to "click" into the United line up. The 24-year-old didn't even make the bench for United's opening two Premier League games against Fulham and Brighton, which has led to renewed speculation over his future.
United just about managed to see off Fulham, but their 2-1 loss at the Amex Stadium raised more questions over Ten Hag's credentials. Sancho might have been able to provide some much-needed quality in the final third, unlike Marcus Rashford.
Sancho hasn't lived up to expectations since his £73 million ($96m) move to United in 2021, but he deserves better than this. How can Rashford still be a guaranteed starter when he's offering so little? Sancho has every right to feel betrayed by Ten Hag after seeing the promise of a fresh start extinguished so quickly, and would be wise to force through a transfer before the summer window slams shut.