The nature of the press release says it all: Manchester United has officially announced Jadon Sancho’s departure. What remains is a curious streak by the former Dortmund player—one that has nothing to do with United.
Amid much fanfare, Manchester United signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund for 85 million euros in 2021; now he is leaving the Red Devils through the back door. On Wednesday, the club announced in a terse statement that three players are leaving the club upon the expiration of their contracts: Casemiro, who had already announced this in January, Tyrell Malacia, who has been plagued by injuries recently, and Sancho.
The former Dortmund player had long been nothing more than a phantom at Old Trafford. He last wore the Man United jersey in a competitive match in August 2024, when his decline was already well underway. He had never even come close to meeting the high expectations raised by his transfer fee and his outstanding Bundesliga stats as a 19- to 21-year-old.
When he publicly fell out with then-manager Erik ten Hag and was banished from the first team for months, there was effectively no turning back. Loans to Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea FC, and Aston Villa followed, but he failed to recapture his former glory at any of them. It was already clear that Villa would not sign him permanently.
Title collection as a loan player
Nevertheless, he can claim a curious streak: He appeared in three consecutive European Cup finals—and United had nothing to do with any of them. After losing the 2024 Champions League final with BVB, he won the Conference League with Chelsea in 2025 and the Europa League with Villa against SC Freiburg in 2026. He also became a Club World Cup champion along the way.
What lies ahead for the 26-year-old remains to be seen. Recently, there have been recurring rumors of a return to Dortmund, and in April, managing director Lars Ricken confirmed that the club was considering the winger. Since then, however, there has been no new development on the matter. He is not part of the World Cup squad; he last played for England in 2021.
Sancho ultimately played only 83 competitive matches for United—not even one for every million of his transfer fee.
