Manchester United travel to in-form Aston Villa in their next Premier League outing, but can a familiar face feature?
Jadon Sancho failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United and now has a distasteful relationship with Rúben Amorim and the United fan base.
Despite not being a regular under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, it seemed the former Borussia Dortmund winger could have been under Erik ten Hag. The two held a good relationship, even after Sancho’s three-month break during the season, but his attitude proved to be too big an issue.
A few years ago, the manager at the time, Jose Mourinho, gave a passionate but piercing rant in a fiery press conference. When talking about career paths of players after they have left United, he said: “See where they play, how they play, if they play.” Of course, there have been a few exceptions to this, Scott McTominay being the main one. Sancho, though, has proven Mourinho right.
His attitude and application were a problem for Amorim – and seemingly Unai Emery, too. Given his lack of minutes since his switch to Villa Park.
Villa a stern test for United
Since the Premier League era began, Villa Park has been a happy hunting ground for United. The Villains, however, are in formidable form. They have won nine out of their last ten matches and will be looking to extend that.
United will go to Villa Park quietly confident. Not just because of their good record, but also because they have won two away games in a row – Crystal Palace and the withering Wolverhampton Wanderers were their victims.
The home form of United is the reason why they are not higher up the table. A loss to Everton, a draw to West Ham and, most recently, a draw to Bournemouth in what was labelled ‘game of the season’ by Sky Sports.
Gary Neville was too, complimentary of United. He said: “This is what you come to Old Trafford for.” Risk is a requirement, but so is entertainment, and United had that in abundance.
Can Sancho feature against United?
Although Sancho’s United career appears to be all but over, he is still technically their player, and in the Premier League, you cannot play against your parent club.
The Football Association states: “During the period of the temporary transfer… a player shall not play against the transferor club.” The same rules would apply if the Reds were to meet Villa in the FA Cup.
In Europe, their rules dictate something entirely different: “Any influence whatsoever over the players that another club may [or may not] field in a match.” That ruling will be familiar to United fans, given that Diogo Dalot played against them during his time at AC Milan.
A former Red who United fans can expect to see is Victor Lindelof, following his move away from United upon the expiry of his contract in the summer.
Read more: Rúben Amorim’s Antoine Semenyo plan REVEALED as formation change claim is made
For United, a win would see them go within touching distance of Villa. If United can replicate Monday’s attacking display and tighten themselves up defensively, a win is a realistic possibility.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.