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Jadon Sancho will NOT be available for Man United’s return to Premier League action on Tuesday as the struggling winger continues to train away from the club amid concerns about his physical and mental fitness.
Jadon Sancho is unlikely to be available for Manchester United’s clash with Nottingham Forest at Christmas as the England star continues his rehabilitation away from the club.
Sancho has not played for United since October and missed training camp in Spain earlier this month because manager Erik ten Hag said he was not physically or mentally ready to take part.
The 22-year-old, who has also taken a break from social media, has been in the Netherlands working with coaches recommended by Ten Hag.
Jadon Sancho is unlikely to feature in Manchester United’s return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday amid concerns over his mental well-being.
United manager Erik ten Hag (right) has admitted he does not know when the £73m Sancho (second right) will return to action for the club.
Ten Hag described Sancho’s problems as “a combination of physical but also mental problems”.
United have put no time limit on Sancho’s return, but Ten Hag does not expect him to play Forest at Old Trafford on Tuesday. “I don’t think so,” the Dutchman replied when asked about his availability.
After Ten Hag described Sancho’s problems as “a combination of physical and mental problems”, it emerged this week that the United players are working with Dutch sports psychologist Rainier Koers.
Ten Hag added: ‘He is here continuously throughout the season working on the coaching staff, working with the team but also with the staff and departments. That’s his job to get the right spirit in the individual and the team.’
Ten Hag will wait for Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane to return to the club on Monday before deciding if they can play any role against Forest.
A video appeared last month of Sancho dribbling alone in a training session in the Netherlands.
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.
The two United centre-backs met in the World Cup final between eventual winners Argentina and France, and will be the last players to report from the tournament in Qatar.
If Harry Maguire recovers from illness, he and Victor Lindelof are ready to start against Forest with Ten Hag not knowing if Martinez and Varane will be ready.
“I don’t know, I wouldn’t know how to answer,” said the United manager. ‘He (Martínez) is still celebrating in Argentina. I can understand that he is very emotional.
‘Winning the World Cup for your country is the highest you can be. But Martínez also has to accept that the Premier League returns on the 27th.
Varane is of course disappointed, but he can also be proud to be in the final. Everything he’s accomplished in his career is already huge, as a team and as a player.
You can still be proud of winning so many trophies. Reaching the final is a great achievement. His nation was so close.
Ten Hag and his backroom staff have tried to tailor each player’s return to domestic action based on their specific post-World Cup circumstances.
Lisandro Martinez is expected to return to United on Monday after winning the World Cup.
Raphael Varane was on the other side of the result as Argentina beat France on Sunday
And he added: ‘We have a plan. Everything is individual. No one is the same or has the same program or the same minutes. It depends on the positions and the age of the players.
We all knew that the restart was five or six days after the World Cup final. Everyone has to be prepared and accept it. The coach and the coaching staff, of course, but also the players, have to accept it.
They want trophies. We talked about tough competition, and we have to be ready to face it: do it smartly and hopefully get the right performance and results.”