Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag was coy when asked whether Jadon Sancho would be back in the squad for Saturday's Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Sancho was a notable absentee from the Red Devils squad against Fulham last Friday, with the England international left out amid the speculation surrounding his future.
During Thursday's press conference, Ten Hag was asked whether the ex-Manchester City youngster would be back in the fold against Brighton, but the Dutchman refused to give anything away when it came to the 24-year-old.
"We will see. We have a squad, I hope we will have a squad with double positioning and when we go into the season after September 1, that means you can't select all the players but you need them all throughout the season," the manager told reporters.
"We have to manage it, the attitude of the players is very important, sometimes they will be disappointed they have to deal with it, you win as a squad. The prizes are decided next May and until then we need all the players in the squad and highly motivated, that is not an expectation, that is a demand on the squad."
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Barcelona 'consider' late move for Sancho
According to SPORT, Barcelona are weighing up an approach for Sancho in the final stages of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Catalan outfit's sporting director Deco is keeping a close eye on the situation, with the La Liga giants recently learning the financial details of the deal.
Man United allegedly want €40m (£34m) in order to sell Sancho this summer, but the Red Devils are also open to a loan move providing that the club in question takes over his full salary.
The forward is said to be on in the region of £250,000 a week, which would prove to be problematic for Barcelona considering their financial situation.
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Will Sancho play for Man United again?
Earlier this summer, Sancho patched-up his relationship with Ten Hag after their high-profile falling-out in the early stages of the 2023-24 campaign.
The forward spent the second half of last season back on loan at Borussia Dortmund, and it had been thought that he would leave on a permanent basis this summer.
Sancho was involved off the bench in the Community Shield earlier this month, but he was left out entirely against Fulham, and the feeling is that he will also not be involved against Brighton.
If Ten Hag does not select the attacker this weekend, it would be a strong indication that he is leaving before the end of the transfer window, but a move to Barcelona would be a surprise.
Sancho has found it difficult to make his mark for Man United since arriving from Dortmund in the summer of 2021, only managing 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Matt Law
