'Issues all the way through' - Erik ten Hag opens up on Jadon Sancho's Man Utd departure as Dutchman reveals Borussia Dortmund loanee's problem was 'clear and obvious'

The England international has returned to Germany on a loan deal through to the end of the 2023-24 campaign. He has already contributed an assist back in familiar surroundings, with the 23-year-old hoping to rediscover a lost spark after two-and-a-half testing years at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag took the decision to freeze Sancho out of his plans in September 2023, but the Dutchman says problems for the talented forward began before his arrival as head coach. Ten Hag has told Sky Sports: “He's now at Dortmund. So after he was signed, one year before [I was here], and there were issues. We have had issues all the way through, and so you can make out his stay at Manchester United so far is not a success. So now he is going back to Borussia Dortmund, so I wish him the best of luck. I hope, we all hope he is doing well there, he will be successful. Again, we will see what is going to happen.”

United’s manager added when asked if an apology from Sancho would have seen bridges rebuilt in Manchester: “We have said that before. And I don't want every time to return to the point. He knows what he should do and we have made that clear. It was also so clear and obvious about his performance so let's stop this discussion. He is to Dortmund and we wish him the best of luck.”

Ten Hag has also said that he was never trying to single Sancho out, with it his job to ensure that everybody is pulling in the same direction. He said: “It's not about discipline. It's about normal behaviour. That is what you can expect from a top professional. If you want to perform you need hungry players. You need players with personalities and who are hungry to fight for the badge and fight for this club. And they need to do this in a team.”

United have struggled for consistency as a collective this season, leading to questions being asked of Ten Hag’s future, with the Red Devils set to be back in Premier League action on Sunday when playing host to Tottenham.