There was a sense of inevitability about the latest twist in a Man United transfer saga. Gary Neville recognized it, and it would never happen at Liverpool
For the second January in a row, Manchester United finds itself somewhat restricted in the transfer market. Last season, Wout Weghorst was the answer, and a few somewhat left-field names are doing the rounds again.
It’s not clear how this fits into Newcastle’s grand FFP theory, with fans of the club seemingly convinced that Profit and Sustainability rules are uniquely formulated to raise the drawbridge on clubs outside the big six. But while it is true that Liverpool has had no trouble with the rules, having spent responsibly, Manchester United is certainly hamstrung.
And just like Newcastle, Erik ten Hag’s side has only itself to blame. There is no great mystery as to why these restrictions have bitten: Manchester United has spent lavishly in recent transfer windows, with minimal sales to offset that.
Plenty of the signings have been a shambles. Prior to today, Antony had played 16 Premier League games this season without a goal or assist to his name. There are question marks over André Onana. Mason Mount has offered almost nothing, and Rasmus Højlund has been little better.
Ten Hag’s hit rate in the transfer market has been abysmal, in short. But none of the signings have been quite as awful as a deal that predated his arrival at Old Trafford.
Jadon Sancho arrived with much fanfare in the summer of 2021. Liverpool had taken a look, as had most big clubs in Europe, but Manchester United won the race for his signature. It even knocked down the initial Borussia Dortmund asking price to a vaguely reasonable-looking $93m (£73m/€85m).
But talk of Manchester United potentially securing a bargain quickly dissipated. Sancho had a somewhat pedestrian start, managing just six goal involvements in his first Premier League season. That crept up to nine in 2022/23, but Ten Hag hadn’t exactly unlocked his full potential.
Gary Neville was among those to stick up for Sancho at first. He blamed the wider malaise at the club in 2021. “He’s come in and is probably thinking, ‘What the hell am I doing here, what is this, there’s no organisation or structure’,” Neville said, via MEN. “He’s the only player, if you look at Manchester United’s defensive running stats, that is anywhere near. I think he’s fifth or sixth, he’s actually putting a shift in.”
But Ten Hag’s side secured Champions League football last season, seemingly ending that excuse. Yet any hopes Sancho would kick on further were brought to an abrupt halt when the manager axed him from the first team squad altogether, as a dispute over Sancho’s training ground efforts spiraled out of control.
