Man Utd flop in ‘make-or-break’ season as staggering €85m loss looms

Jadon Sancho faces a make-or-break season at Aston Villa for both his career and Manchester United‘s chances of generating a fee for him.

The €85 million signing has been an unmitigated disaster for the Red Devils since his arrival in 2021, with Sancho spending the past 18 months out on loan.

Despite the occasional signs of promise, Sancho’s temporary stints at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea were middling at best, and he failed to secure a permanent transfer away from Man Utd this summer.

Sancho had offers, but he opted to stay put, likely well aware of the fact that he would never get a contract as lucrative as his current Man Utd terms ever again.

He joined Aston Villa in a Deadline Day panic move after the Birmingham club had a hugely underwhelming window in which they struggled to properly reinforce their side due to concerns over financial regulations. The Villans will cover 80 per cent of his hefty salary this term.

Sancho’s final shot at redemption

Unai Emery has shown that he can revive players’ flagging careers, and he will have to work his magic with Sancho, whose fall from grace has been terribly sad to watch.

It is a crucial season for Sancho to salvage his Premier League career, and it would also be helpful for Man Utd for him to get back to a consistently good level.

He won’t have a future at Old Trafford regardless of his output this season, but with his contract expiring in 2026, his performances could determine whether or not Man Utd exercise their one-year option in his deal in hopes of securing a fee for him next summer.

Man Utd previously released Raphael Varane to get his massive wages off the books despite having an option to extend his stay by a further season, and they are likely to do the same with Casemiro next year.

The same course of action could be taken with Sancho if Man Utd feel there is no other way to get rid of him. As former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor points out, this is not in his best interest as it would result in a significant reduction of his earnings.

“It’s make-or-break,” he said on talkSPORT. “If he doesn’t put in a top season for Aston Villa and does really well, his £350,000-a-week will go down to £50,000-a-week at his new club.”

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