Manchester United have reportedly released Jadon Sancho after five miserable years at the club.
The former Borussia Dortmund star is now available in the transfer market as a free agent, with rumors going around that he could be headed back to Signal Iduna Park.
His loan spell to Aston Villa last season didn't help the playmaker recapture his old mojo (the Europa League triumph does little to hide his lacklustre run), while the Red Devils refrained from extending his contract as they chose to cut their losses instead.
Sancho's dramatic downfall
After emerging as one of Europe's brightest young talents during his spell with the BVB, Manchester United came knocking as the Premier League giants were looking for an attacking talisman who could propel the side back among the pantheons of European greats.
However, the €85 million price tag proved too heavy for him to shoulder as Sancho failed to replicate his Dortmund heroics at Old Trafford; the Englishman was a pale shadow of his former self and looked utterly out of depth in United's set-up while recurring injuries didn't help his cause either.
In his first two years at the club, Sancho netted just 12 goals from 79 games while assisting another six - a disastrous return for a player of his value as it paved the way for a triumvirate of loan spells in the next three years.
He even returned to Dortmund briefly, joining in the second half of 2023-24 season on loan for the remainder of the campaign, but that too ended in disappointment with Sancho contributing just six goals from 21 games in all competitions.
A third spell at Dortmund beckons
With Manchester United finally set to get rid of him after his contract expires this month, Sancho's career is at a crossroads again. So far, the only club to have been linked with him is his former side Dortmund, which begs the question - could the playmaker be set for another spell in North Rhine-Westphalia?
Following Julian Brandt's departure, there is vacancy for a new playmaker, a role that Sancho knows all to well after having excelled in it during his first term. But the Bundesliga side will be wary that he's today a pale shadow of his older self.
Dortmund don't have to shell out anything to bring him back as Sancho is available for free right now, but any transfer would still involve a lot of risk, given his on-field struggles and poor injury record.
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