Erling Haaland has voiced his support for former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho on social media as the winger prepares to depart Manchester United. The pair spent 18 months in the Bundesliga together, winning the German Cup and Super Cup. They scored 57 goals and registered 32 assists between them throughout the 2020/2021 season.
Sancho hasn’t played for United since a 3-2 home win against Nottingham Forest on 26 August, following a public disagreement with manager Erik Ten Hag.
The Dutchman excluded Sancho from the squad for their 3-1 defeat away to Arsenal in September, saying that he had not been working hard enough in training. The young player refuted his manager’s claims on social media, calling them “completely untrue” and insisting that he was being used as a scapegoat for the struggling team.
Refusing to apologise for accusing his manager of lying, Sancho has since been absent from every Manchester United matchday squad.
The winger was banished from training with the first team, instead spending his time with the academy players. He was even banned from the canteen, with food being brought to him in a lunchbox by members of staff.
With a loan spell to former club Borussia Dortmund closing in, Erling Haaland spoke out on Instagram in support of his old teammate. The Manchester City forward posted a picture of him and Sancho after winning the German Cup at Dortmund, captioning the image “proper baller that” with a heart-eyed emoji.
German newspaper Bild reported that United are close to completing a £2.6m loan deal with his former club, saying Sancho could return to the Dortmund training camp in Marbella as early as tomorrow.
Having paid £73m for Sancho, the Red Devils will struggle to make that money back on a player who hasn’t been given minutes for four months. The relationship seems beyond the point of repair, so United will hope to make the most of the winger’s departure.
While a loan spell at Dortmund may appear to be a short-term solution, it could build his value for a future sale by giving him first-team minutes at a big club. It would also give Sancho a chance to showcase his talent and make it back into the England squad for the European Championship this summer.
Manchester United play Wigan Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday, with kick-off at 8.15pm on ITV1.