Man United must make controversial transfer decision after Jadon Sancho return, it’s absolutely crucial

Manchester United must make a controversial transfer decision following Jadon Sancho’s return to training at Carrington this week.

Sancho, 24, looked absolutely certain to leave United this summer on a permanent basis after he was exiled from the first-team squad last September.

The winger essentially accused his manager, Erik ten Hag, of lying when he was left out of the squad to face Arsenal. The Dutchman cited training performance as the reason for Sancho’s absence.

After training away from the first-team squad at Carrington for several months, Sancho departed the club in January to return to former club Borussia Dortmund on loan.

Despite impressing for the German side as they reached the Champions League final, once Ten Hag’s position at Old Trafford was secured with an extended deal last month, it seemed clear that there was only one outcome regarding the 24-year-old winger.

However, reports have since clarified that Sancho and Ten Hag have decided to put their previous disagreements behind them and move forward. The winger has returned to team training at Carrington and will take part in pre-season fixtures for the club.

While this does not necessarily mean that the winger will not be sold, it is certainly a big step in the direction for him to play a part next season, considering Ten Hag’s biggest problem was the dispute and not Sancho’s ability.

However, if that outcome does happen, you cannot get past the idea that the club were hoping to receive close to £40 million for the player in the transfer market this summer, as well as losing his wages, which are some of the highest within the United squad.

It also leaves United somewhat bloated in the frontline, with Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo, Antony, Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho and the incoming Joshua Zirkzee as options for the front three positions.

This all points to one thing that needs to happen this summer. United must bite the bullet with Antony and sell the Brazilian winger, even if they will almost certainly receive a major loss in terms of a transfer fee.

The former Ajax winger joined the club in the summer of 2022 for £85 million but has failed to truly impress since then. He scored just one goal in the Premier League last season.

Unfortunately, this also means that Antony’s status within the game is at an all-time low and clubs within Europe will certainly not offer anywhere near to the cash United paid for him two years ago.

There were prior reports that the player was offered to clubs in the Saudi Pro League, but it remains to be seen whether that could really be an option.

Yet, the club need to make a decision if Sancho is going to stay at the club. Sales are important this summer, and Antony’s value might drop even further if he remains at the club where several players will be ahead of him in the pecking order.

INEOS have shown that they are willing to make controversial and difficult decisions at Old Trafford so far. This could be another topic for discussion.

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