Erik ten Hag has refused to place a timescale on Jadon Sancho’s return for Manchester United as the winger looks to regain his form and fitness.
Sancho began the season in impressive form for the Red Devils, but suffered a dip in his performances and missed the final three Premier League fixtures before the World Cup break.
The 22-year-old has struggled to produce on a consistent basis for United since his £72.9m arrival from Borussia Dortmund and was left out of the England squad for both September’s international break and this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.
Ten Hag decided that Sancho should work away from the rest of the squad during the season’s pause as he concentrates on building his own fitness. He did not travel to Spain for the club’s two-game mini-tour this month.
“I have had several talks with Jadon,” Ten Hag said on Sancho, as per the BBC.
“He’s on a physical programme and our aim is to get him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.”
Ten Hag has recruited a coach he previously worked with in the Netherlands to assist with Sancho’s individual programme.
The Dutchman believes Sancho’s omission from the England squad in September could have contributed to a decline in confidence, but admits that competition for places with the national side is fierce and insists the winger must do more to break back into the squad.
“There’s huge competition with England,” he said. “Even at the World Cup, every game is difficult to know who to start because there’s so much talent in the offensive line. When you don’t show it week by week you can fall out of the squad, which is what happened.
“When the league started he played some good games, but after we got a drop of levels. Sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it. Most of the time it comes slowly. First you observe but the stats back it up. In the start of the season he had goals and assists but his key moments and key actions became less and less.
“It’s a combination of physical but also mental. We’re trying to research and get him back.”
