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Football pundit Mark Lawrenson has stated that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made a "big mistake" when he let Jadon Sancho leave the club earlier in the season.
The Englishman was loaned out to his former club Borussia Dortmund in January after a falling out with the Dutch football manager. While The Red Devils spent £70m to sign Sancho in 2021, his run-of-the-mill performances drew a lot of criticism.
Sancho was sidelined from the squad following his remark on social media on Erik ten Hag's claim that he was underperforming in training.
However, Lawrenson believes it was a mistake to let go of a player as talented as Sancho. He said (via Paddy Power):
"Erik ten Hag letting Jadon Sancho go was a big mistake given the form of some of the Manchester United players – you can’t say he wouldn’t have done better than them. It was a decision that ten Hag took, but they could have used Sancho for the second half of the season. He’s a talented player and would have been useful for them, so I think he made a mistake with letting him go to Germany."
The 24-year-old has had a turbulent restart at his former club. He has netted just two goals in 15 appearances. He started in both legs of Dortmund's UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final win over Atletico Madrid. The German side will take on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the semi-final of the European cup.
Manchester United in their second consecutive FA Cup final after beating Coventry
The Red Devils managed to reach their second consecutive FA Cup final place after beating Coventry City. However, United's performance was far from convincing.
The former Premier League champions gave away a three-goal cushion in the last 20 minutes of the game. They only managed to eke out a win following 4-2 in the penalty shootout after the match went into extra time.
Despite their win, United look like a side running out of fuel. While they qualified for the Champions League, the red side of Manchester were only able to manage one win out of their six group-stage matches and were hence, eliminated.
They currently occupy the seventh spot on the Premier League table and Erik ten Hag's future is shrouded in mystery as Manchester United continue their trophyless run.
They have managed one win in their last five Premier League games and will be hoping to return to winning ways in their game against Sheffield United on April 24.
