Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho is reportedly having to lock the doors of the club's academy as his exile from the first-team continues.
Big things were expected of the forward when he touched down from German giants Borussia Dortmund back in the summer transfer window of 2021.
United had spent four years pursuing Sancho, with Jose Mourinho first registering an interest in the player when he ruled the roost at Old Trafford.
Ever since finally landing their man, however, the player has declined at a drastic rate.
Manchester United star Jadon Sancho has refused to apologise to Erik ten Hag since their ugly fall-out
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He toiled under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, while he struggled to win Erik ten Hag round last season as the club finished third in the Premier League table and won the Carabao Cup.
It is an open secret that Sancho has had issues adjusting to life back in Manchester since returning nearly two-and-a-half years ago.
And he has been exiled from the United squad ever since appearing to call Ten Hag a liar on social media.
Ten Hag was quizzed on Sancho after United lost 3-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium back in November.
He then took aim at the former Dortmund and Manchester City star, insisting he hadn't been performing well enough in training to warrant selection.
That prompted an angry response from Sancho, who then took to social media to say: “Please don’t believe everything you read!
"I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week.
“I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!”
Now, according to the Daily Mail, there's still no end to Sancho's time in the wilderness in sight.
The forward has been working with the club's academy as he looks to maintain his fitness as the January transfer window creeps closer.
But Sancho has also been given the task of locking the Red Devils' academy doors to prevent any safeguarding issues relating to any senior player mixing with minors.
United insist there's still a way back for the player if he apologises.
Yet it must be sincere and there seems to be no chance of Sancho doing that at the current moment in time.
United players are siding with Ten Hag, who has already ruthlessly shown Cristiano Ronaldo the door during his time in charge.
The Dutchman felt he had no choice but to offload the 38-year-old after Ronaldo criticised him, the club and the Glazers in a bombshell interview.
Senior figures also want Sancho to swallow his pride and give Ten Hag the apology he wants.
But it seems increasingly likely the 23-year-old will be sold when the transfer window reopens in January.
Dortmund have been linked with a stunning move for Sancho, having seen the best of the player during his spell at the Westfalenstadion.
Reports have suggested they have concerns, though, with the forward having issues with timekeeping while he was with them.
Clubs from Saudi Arabia eyed a late move for Sancho last month.
But nothing materialised and it'll be intriguing to see if teams from the Middle East come calling for the player in the New Year.
Sancho has made 82 appearances for United since his blockbuster arrival in 2021.
However, with just 12 goals to his name, he's done little to justify his eyewatering £73million transfer fee.
That sum makes Sancho the fifth most-expensive signing in United's entire history.
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Manchester United have seen Jadon Sancho disappoint ever since his move to Old Trafford in 2021
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Paul Pogba still leads the way, with the France international setting the club back a sizeable £89m upon returning from Juventus in 2016 after four years away.
And United have also spent big on the likes of Antony, Harry Maguire and Romelu Lukaku as well.
Meanwhile, former Premier League star Kevin-Prince Boateng recently discussed the Sancho situation on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel.
And Boateng thinks both Ten Hag and Sancho are to blame for the current impasse.
“It looks so bad for the club, for Ten Hag, for Sancho, it just looks really negative," said the 36-year-old, who had stints with Portsmouth and Tottenham during his time in England.
“You only read negative stuff – he says this, they say that.
Manchester United flop Jadon Sancho enjoyed the best years of his football career while playing for Borussia Dortmund
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"I think you just need to sit down with the player, tell him honestly what you think, what he has to do, the player says what he has to do and then he leaves or he stays there and gives everything.
“I don’t think Sancho gives everything, like he’s not there with his head 100 per cent, and I think Manchester United is treating him in the wrong, so you just have to find a solution.
"I think Sancho is an unbelievable player, so much potential, what he showed in Dortmund… coming back to England didn’t help him because of the environment for sure, he’s got all his buddies out here.
“He comes here, his friends are around, you know how it is, I was the same!
"When I came back to Berlin, I had my friends and yeah, football was second.
"In Dortmund, he didn’t have anyone around, look how he performed – he was flying, because he was just focusing on football, football, football, there were no excuses. Now he has excuses.”
