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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag remains unsure when Jadon Sancho will return to first-team duties due to the winger lacking both confidence and fitness.
Sancho has not played for United since a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on October 22 and was not included as part of England’s World Cup squad.
The 22-year-old was then left out of United’s travelling party for their recent warm-weather training camp in Spain, instead staying back to work on an individual programme.
Former Borussia Dortmund attacker Sancho, who is in his second season at Old Trafford, is now in a race against time to be ready for United’s return to action next week.
“We didn’t see him in the last games for United as he wasn’t in the right fitness state, and he is now on an individual programme,” Ten Hag told reporters.
“We want him to finish that and hopefully see him back soon. We want to bring him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.”
Sancho started the season well with three goals in his first eight matches, yet that was not enough to earn a place in England’s squad for September’s Nations League games.
Ten Hag says Sancho’s form noticeably dipped around the time, with no further goals scored in his past six outings.
“Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood,” Ten Hag added. “He was not in the right status or fitness state.”
Sancho was one of the big-name omissions from Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Qatar 2022, which Ten Hag puts down to the player’s loss of form.
“There’s huge competition with England,” he said. “Even at the World Cup, every game is difficult to know who to start because there’s so much talent in the offensive line.
“When you don’t show it week by week you can fall out of the squad, which is what happened.
“When the league started he played some good games, but after we got a drop of levels. Sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it. Most of the time it comes slowly.
“First you observe, but the stats back it up. In the start of the season he had goals and assists, but his key moments and key actions became less and less.
“It’s a combination of physical but also mental. We’re trying to research and get him back.”
United return to action with an EFL Cup last-16 tie against Burnley on December 21, before hosting Nottingham Forest in the Premier League six days later.
