Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho has been left out of the Red Devils' official squad photo for the 2023-24 season, according to a report.
The England international has been frozen out of Erik ten Hag's squad ever since questioning the manager's decision to drop him from the team for their 3-1 loss to Arsenal in September.
Ten Hag alleged that Sancho's absence was due to a spate of poor displays in training, but the former Borussia Dortmund man publicly challenged his version of events and claimed that he had been made a "scapegoat".
Sancho's statement was his pinned post on his X profile for a short while before being deleted, but there has been no resolution to his stand-off with Ten Hag.
The Dutchman is believed to be waiting for a public and private apology from the winger before re-integrating him into the squad, but Sancho has refused to back down and is yet to say sorry to his head coach.
© Reuters
As punishment, Sancho has allegedly been banished from the first-team facilities at the club's Carrington training complex, where he is practising away from the main group of players and has even been barred from the canteen.
Sancho's Man United teammates are thought to be on his manager's side and are pleading with the 23-year-old to make peace with Ten Hag, but there is currently no indication that he plans to do so.
As a result, both Man United and Sancho will try to engineer a transfer away during the January window, and even if he does depart, there will be no impact on Man United's first in-person squad photo since the 2014-15 season.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the attacker was omitted from the shoot, which took place approximately three weeks ago at Carrington - midway through his lengthy absence.
Even if Sancho does come forward and apologise to Ten Hag, it would supposedly make little difference at this juncture given how long the Dutchman has already been waiting, and his Man United career appears to be dead in the water.
© Reuters
The Red Devils won a heated transfer battle to poach Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, but the England international has been unable to recapture the form that made him a hit in Germany.
Sancho has just 12 goals and six assists to show from 82 games in a Red Devils jersey, and he only made three substitute appearances at the start of the 2023-24 season before being ostracised from the first team.
The 23-year-old's 2022-23 campaign was also disrupted due to a combination of mental and physical problems, and it has now been two years since he last played for his country.
Sancho's former club Dortmund and Italian giants Juventus are thought to be the main two contenders to sign the winger in January, although he would apparently only prefer a loan exit for the second half of the campaign.
Sancho is expected to be absent once again when Man United resume Premier League action away to newly-promoted Sheffield United on Saturday evening, where the Red Devils will endeavour to improve an indifferent record of four wins and four defeats from their opening eight top-flight games of the new term.
