‘Puts pressure on’ - Rio Ferdinand explains how Jadon Sancho can rebuild his Man Utd career

Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand believes Jadon Sancho’s only hope of returning to Old Trafford rests solely on the future of Erik ten Hag as manager.

The TNT Sports pundit was discussing Sancho’s future after the 24-year-old became the first Red Devils player of the post Alex Ferguson era to reach the Champions League final, in a game which saw Borussia Dortmund earn a surprise 1-0 victory in the French capital against PSG.

Sancho, who is on loan from Manchester United, has shown revived signs of form and has been a near ever-present in recent weeks since re-signing for the Bundesliga side. So far, in terms of numbers, he has managed just three goals and one assist from 18 appearances on the pitch, but in terms of overall performances he is beginning to return to the form which inspired a £73m move to Old Trafford back in 2021.

Sancho was a constant threat throughout both semi-final games against the French champions and has been hailed for his form by Ferdinand and his old teammate Owen Hargreaves. Speaking on TNT Sport, Ferdinand said: “He is in good form and needs to follow it up, then he really puts pressure on Manchester United.

“People behind the scenes, INEOS, will be asking why that isn’t happening in a Unite shirt. I think the only way he goes back is if Erik ten Hag isn’t there. I don’t think they can undermine the manager without an apology, I think the manager has to be gone for Sancho to go back to Manchester United.”

Sancho notably fell out with ten Hag in September when he was left out of the team which faced Manchester United. At the time the Dutchman claimed Sancho hadn’t been hitting the required levels in training, but the England international hit back at his manager claiming he was sick of being the ‘scapegoat’ for the team’s issues.

Sancho did not play a single minute of football from September to January and was barred from training with the first team in the run-up to his loan move.

However, Hargreaves still feels he has the potential to be an exciting addition to the Red Devils. He added: “If you pair him with the players, there is the potential to grow them into something really big. Jadon could be a part of that and he should be excited to be with that.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ambitions to take Manchester United back to the summit of English and European football, but it remains to be seen if either Sancho or Ten Hag will be involved in the new revolution in what promises to be an intriguing summer behind the scenes.