Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho's Old Trafford career is allegedly dead in the water even if he apologises to Erik ten Hag for his behaviour.
The 23-year-old has spent almost two months ostracised from the first team - a whirlwind off-field saga which began when he was left out of their squad to face Arsenal on September 3.
Sancho had come off the bench in the Red Devils' three previous Premier League games of the 2023-24 season, but Ten Hag told the media that his exclusion was due to some lacklustre displays in training.
However, Sancho publicly called out his manager on X - formerly known as Twitter - claiming that the Dutchman's accusations were false and he had been made a "scapegoat" during his time at the Theatre of Dreams.
Ten Hag immediately banished Sancho from the first team and all relevant facilities, meaning that the winger must train away from the senior group and use the academy dressing room.
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The England international would supposedly have been re-integrated into the group if he made a public and private apology to Ten Hag, which his teammates have urged him to do, but neither man is budging.
Whether Sancho has any intention of swallowing his pride and saying sorry to Ten Hag is unclear, but according to The Mirror, an apology from the 23-year-old will do no good at this stage, given the length of time that has lapsed since his public statement.
Ten Hag - who has hardly spoken to Sancho since their spat - allegedly believes that his relationship with the winger is now irreparable, and an exit in January is now seen as the only way forward for both parties.
A permanent switch to Saudi Arabia is understood to be Man United's first choice as they try to recoup a portion of the £73m they paid Borussia Dortmund for his services in 2021, but they will take a significant financial hit either way.
Steven Gerrard's Al Ettifaq could have offered Sancho an escape route over the summer, but a late deal did not come to fruition due to Man United's insistence on a £45m obligation to buy.
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Furthermore, Sancho would apparently rather leave Old Trafford on loan during the January transfer window amid interest from both Juventus and former club Dortmund, who could battle for a temporary deal in January.
However, neither team would be willing to fork out the entirety of Sancho's weekly £250,000 salary, which he is continuing to collect during his banishment from first-team activities.
The Englishman has only amassed 12 goals and six assists in 82 games for Man United during an underwhelming two-year spell, and he has not played for England since October 2021.
Sancho was left out of Ten Hag's squad for the ninth game running on Saturday, where the Red Devils overcame Sheffield United 2-1 thanks to goals from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot either side of Oli McBurnie's penalty.
Man United's second successive league win moved them up to eighth place in the Premier League table, and Ten Hag's side now search for their first Champions League win of the season at the third attempt at home to Copenhagen on Tuesday.
Ben Knapton
