Manchester United reportedly remain undecided over their next move for winger Jadon Sancho, whose bid to rejuvenate his career on loan with Aston Villa has not yet come to fruition.
A mixed loan with Chelsea last season saw the Blues pay a penalty fee to opt out of an obligation to sign Sancho permanently. Despite a desire to sell the winger last summer, United were ultimately forced to accept a straight loan offer from Villa, who do not have the option to make the move permanent next year.
United’s hope for the move is that Sancho would follow a similar career path to Marcus Rashford, whose six-month loan spell at Villa Park in the second half of the 2024–25 campaign helped boost his value, but that is yet to materialise.
Indeed, Sancho has just five Villa appearances to his name thus far and recently faced the humiliation of being substituted after having been introduced off the bench in Sunday’s 1–0 victory over Manchester City.
The Manchester Evening News state United have not yet come to an agreement over their plan for Sancho’s next move. The 25-year-old’s contract at Old Trafford only runs until next summer but the Red Devils do hold the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Letting Sancho’s contract expire at the end of the season would see United accept a total loss on the £73 million ($97.4 million) they paid to sign Sancho in 2021. Extending his deal would give United the chance to sell him for a fee, but they would run the risk of being saddled with his mammoth wages for another 12 months if the right offer did not arrive.
It is clear that Sancho has no long-term future at United, who hope a promising loan at Villa Park will maintain some kind of value and encourage a bidding war next summer. A decision on his contract extension will only be made later in the season, when Sancho has had enough time to show his best at Villa.
Emery: ‘Embarrassing’ Substitution Unrelated to Sancho’s Form
Sancho has endured a slow start to his loan with Villa. He played just eight minutes across his first three Premier League games with the club before an illness sent him back to the sidelines.
He returned for the midweek defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League, making his second start for the club, but found himself in attracting unwanted headlines this weekend when he was substituted on and off in the same game.
An early injury to Emiliano Buendia saw Sancho introduced against his former employers City, only to be hauled off with 15 minutes to go. Emery admitted he recognised the “embarrassment” of such a move but insisted it was a move made with Sancho’s long-term fitness in mind.
“Yes, sure [Sancho] is not happy, but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday,” Emery explained. “When [Buendia] was injured, my plan was maybe in case [Sancho] was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.
“But my plan was when he was swapped with Emiliano Buendia, the idea was maybe not playing all the minutes until the last moment. And I told him as well, he can feel it, it’s embarrassing.
“Before Morgan, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey, they felt the same when I subbed them, but it was not a punishment. And now it’s not a punishment.
“He played 45 minutes, I am so happy because his impact was good, his electricity, his skill, but then to play more than now... he’s not ready, fit, to play 90 minutes, 45 minutes is not easy enough for him and I am happy and of course, progressively he’s coming better and better.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Facing Jadon Sancho Dilemma After ‘Embarrassing’ Aston Villa Blow.