“I’ve had several talks with Jadon.”
Erik ten Hag has revealed that Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho is not “physically and mentally” fit enough to return to first team training.
The former Dortmund star has not been involved with United’s mid-season training camp, and has instead been training with specialised coaches in the Netherlands.
Sancho was not included in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup panel, and because of an illness, the Englishman hasn’t played since October 22nd.
The 22-year-old has switched off social media accounts, and seems to have shut himself away from the public eye, however ten Hag says he can’t confirm when he will return to the squad.
“I don’t think he will be back this week, no,” said Ten Hag.
“We want to bring him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be. Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. We got a drop of quality level and sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it.
“That is what we are doing now to try to get him back there. It is a combination of physically and mentally. I’ve had several talks with Jadon and I don’t think he will be back this week.
Explaining Sancho’s absence from the group he took to Spain, Ten Hag added: “He wasn’t fit enough to be there. It’s a combination of physically and mentally.”
Sancho was one of the country’s most exciting prospects and after impressing with Dortmund in the Bundesliga he moved to Old Trafford for a whopping fee of £73million.
However, he has struggled to replicate these performances in the Premier League and with Brazilian Antony making an immediate impact, and rumours of further transfers coming in, it seems as though Sancho’s place at United could be at risk.
“Most of the time it comes slowly,” Ten Hag added.
“On the [pre-season] tour he played well, and the start of the league he played some good games like Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal. Then his performance was lower. First you observe but then the stats back it up.
“At the start of the season, he had goals, assists, key moments and key actions and it became less and less.
“We got a drop of quality level and that happens sometimes. You don’t know what is causing it. That is what we are doing now, trying to research and now we try to get him back there.
“I think there is huge competition for England. When you don’t show it week by week, you can fall out of the squad, which is what happened.”
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