Erik ten Hag tells Jadon Sancho that it is up to him if he wants to return to Man United’s first team… as he insists the door is still open for the exiled £275,000-a-week star

Erik ten Hag has told Jadon Sancho that it’s up to the player if he wants to salvage his Manchester United career by apologising over their fall-out.

Sancho seems almost certain to leave Old Trafford when the transfer window re-opens in January if United can find a club willing to buy their exiled star or take him on loan for the rest of the season.

The 23-year-old winger hasn’t played for three-and-a-half months since effectively branding Ten Hag a liar over his reasons for leaving Sancho out of the defeat at Arsenal in September.

He has been training on his own at Carrington on full pay after refusing to say sorry to Ten Hag, costing United around £4million in wages under the terms of his £275,000-a-week contract.

There has been interest from Juventus and the Saudi League, while his old club Borussia Dortmund have been linked with a swap deal for Donyell Malen.

Sancho has been exiled at United since a public falling-out with Ten Hag in September

But Ten Hag indicated on Friday that there is still time for Sancho to stay at United if he is prepared to fall into line.

‘It is about a culture and every player has to match certain standards, and it was about that,’ said the United boss, who claimed in an interview this week that he has no regrets over his handling of the controversy.

‘What will happen there, he knows what he has to do if he wants to return. It is up to him.’ Asked if he thought the money spent on the player’s wages was a waste, Ten Hag replied: ‘I think that is an internal matter. We will see what will happen.’ 

Former United midfielder Nemanja Matic confirmed this week that Sancho and Paul Pogba were the worst offenders when it came to being late for training.

Ten Hag has tried to instil a more disciplined culture at the club, and took a hard line with Alejandro Garnacho last year over his…