Jadon Sancho ‘still absent from Manchester United training’

Jadon Sancho is “not yet in Manchester United training” after Erik ten Hag said he was “not mentally ready” to return to action.

United play Burnley in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, but winger Sancho will not be available for selection amid concerns about his mental state.

Sancho took his social media accounts offline last month in an effort to get ready for the second half of the season, but that move only raised more concerns about his well-being.

Jadon Sancho ‘not yet in Manchester United training’ as Erik ten Hag’s side prepare to return to action in the Carabao Cup fourth round against Burnley

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag (right) has admitted he does not know when £73m Jadon Sancho (second right) will return to action for the club.

Sancho, 22, has undergone an individual training program in the Netherlands on Ten Hag’s recommendation in recent weeks and failed to make England’s World Cup squad.

The aim was to get Sancho back to his best physical condition, especially mentally, and try to rediscover the form he showed during a brilliant start to the season.

Sancho did not travel to Spain with other United players who were not in the World Cup for a warm-weather training camp and friendlies against Cádiz and Real Betis.

And, according to Manchester evening news, Sancho is not yet fit to return to full training at United’s Carrington headquarters. He has not been photographed at team training since Oct. 31.

A short video surfaced last month of Sancho haggling between mannequins alone.

Ten Hag has spoken to £73m Sancho about his situation on several occasions but has not set a timetable for his return to training.

“We want to bring it back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a forecast of when that will be,” Ten Hag said earlier this month.

‘Sometimes there are circumstances with the physical form and the state of mind. We have a drop in quality score and sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it.

That’s what we’re doing now to try to get him back there. It is a combination of the physical and the mental.’

Sancho has not played since October 22 due to illness and has raised concerns for the talented Londoner, more so after he shut down his social media accounts last month.

Sancho has been training with a trusted Ten Hag coach at Dutch amateur club OJC Rosmalen, and a short video surfaced showing him dribbling between mannequins.

United would ideally have Sancho fit and available before a hectic Christmas schedule.

He last played for them in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea on 22 October and was later sidelined with illness.

Following the draw against Burnley on Wednesday night, United host Nottingham Forest in their return to Premier League action on December 27 before traveling to Wolves on New Year’s Eve.

Ten Hag’s side continue with a home game against Bournemouth on January 3 and an FA Cup third round tie at home to Everton on January 6.

It comes as the nine players from the team eliminated at the quarter-final stage return to the club in time for the clash with championship leaders Burnley.

Harry Maguire, part of the England squad knocked out by France in the round of 16 in Qatar, could feature on Wednesday because starting central defenders Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez reached the final with France and Argentina respectively.

Others who should be available include Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Fred and Antony, although Diogo Dalot is being evaluated for a hamstring injury.