Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag said that he has 'not been surprised' by Jadon Sancho's form for Borussia Dortmund, insisting that his qualities were "not the issue".
Sancho returned to Dortmund on loan in January following the breakdown of his relationship with Ten Hag.
The 24-year-old has been a regular for BVB in the second half of the campaign, featuring on 14 occasions in all competitions, scoring twice and registering two assists in the process.
The England international played 86 minutes of Dortmund's 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, with the Bundesliga team now preparing to tackle Paris Saint-Germain in the final four.
Ten Hag was asked about Sancho during his press conference to preview Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City and said that the attacker's ability has never been a problem.
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Erik ten Hag calls Jadon Sancho "a fantastic player"
"Of course, I follow international football, and I always follow the players who are on loan in other clubs. So, it was a fantastic game, Dortmund against Atletico Madrid. It was a great performance from Dortmund and also for Jadon, that is good news because he made his contribution to this result for Dortmund," he told reporters.
"We know he is a fantastic player. That is not a surprise. That is not the issue.
A positive pre-season led to suggestions that Sancho would start the 2023-24 Premier League campaign in the first XI, but he instead featured off the bench in the team's first three games of the season.
Sancho was then left out against Arsenal at the start of September, with Ten Hag claiming that poor performances on the training ground from the ex-Manchester City youngster had led to his decision.
The Englishman insisted that was not the case, claiming that he had been made "a scapegoat", and he refused to apologise for effectively branding his head coach a liar.
Sancho was removed from the first-team picture at Old Trafford and returned to Dortmund in January, but he is set to be back at his parent club this summer, with a big decision needing to be made on his future.
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Will Jadon Sancho play for Man United again?
A recent report claimed that Sancho would be prepared to return to Man United and battle for a first-team position if there is a change of manager this summer.
Indeed, Ten Hag's future at the helm is far from secure, with the club's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe said to be considering bringing in a new manager at the end of the season.
Sancho has only managed 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances for Man United since his arrival from Dortmund in the summer of 2021.
The forward has demonstrated his quality back at Dortmund, but there is no question that he has struggled in the Premier League, and a departure this summer seems best for all involved.
A return to Man United for the 2024-25 campaign cannot be ruled out, although that is only expected to occur if Ten Hag leaves, so Sancho's future is on hold for now.
Matt Law
