Sport

Jadon Sancho returning to Borussia Dortmund on loan from Man United following four-month exile

Whether he and ten Hag will kiss and make up if/when he return remains to be seen.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 10th January 2024

An agreement has been reached for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho to leave the club on loan and return to Borussia Dortmund, the team he was signed from back in July 2021, for the rest of the season.

Having been not just sidelined from the Man United squad but effectively exiled from the first-team setup and Carrington Training Complex following a fairly public dispute with manager Erik ten Hag, the 23-year-old is now set to finish the rest of the 23/24 season back in the Bundesliga.

The United and England star arrived at Old Trafford as one of the most talented and valuable players in Europe, with the club acquiring him for around £73 million, but he has failed to make a real impact during his time there, registering just 12 goals and half a dozen assists in over 80 appearances.

After first being confirmed by ever-reliable transfer source Fabrizio Romano and then by The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, it is now thought that Sancho could fly out of Manchester as early as today.

According to Ornstein, it is expected Sancho will complete his medical and sign a short-term loan contract with Dortmund over the space of the next 48 hours.

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It is also understood that the deal will see the German side cover part of his salary and pay a loan fee worth upwards of £3.5m.

For Reds hoping to see Sancho recover the kind of form that made countless clubs want to sign him just a couple of years ago, having previously linked up with Man City’s Erling Haaland at BVB to become one of the most dangerous duos going, you’ll be pleased to know there is no buy option included.

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The London-born forward hasn’t played for ten Hag‘s team back in August and has only made a total of three cameos for the Red Devils this season, so all parties involved will no doubt be wanting to get one of Britain’s best footballing talents back to his best.

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With Euro 2024 also on the horizon, Sancho will also be keen to once again be playing more regular football as he no doubt hopes to get a shot at being named among Gareth Southgate’s squad.

The no.25 has been training privately over the last few months and has even reportedly been barred from communal spaces around the club such as the canteen.

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Following his spat with the Man United boss, he also proceeded to deactivate his social media accounts, with his vocal online response to the Dutchman’s press conference being one of the key reasons behind the falling out.

Although it’s unclear at this stage if the club intend to help Sancho rescue his form and confidence abroad with the aim of reintegrating him or to simply recover some of his value before offloading him, you won’t find many debating whether this was the right decision for him at this moment.

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Featured Images — Ardfern (via Wikimedia Commons)/Marco Verch (via Flickr)

Sport

Erik ten Hag splits opinion as he calls Man United “one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league”

Danny Jones Danny Jones Erik ten Hag calls Manchester United 'one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams' in the Premier League

Erik ten Hag has caused quite the stir with his post-match interview following the disappointing result against Burnley, as he went out on a limb to label his Manchester United side “one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league”.

Pretty big words, to say the least.

With just one win in their last five league games, six draws and a dozen defeats this season, ten Hag‘s sophomore season at Old Trafford is looking like it could end up being one of the worst campaigns in the club’s history in terms of points, still four shy of the lowest-ever tally of 58 posted in 2022/22.

Moreover, much of the criticisms levelled at ten Hag is that it’s been difficult to see any distinct style or patterns of play from his squad, leaving many with a raised eyebrow when he decided to praise them as “one the most dynamic” in the Premier League after drawing at home to a side likely to be relegated.

ten Hag believes they can’t be compared to the United of 04/05 but that they’re still ‘one of the most dynamic and entertaining’.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction online from supporters, Red or otherwise, has been one of disbelief and plenty of amusement – and that’s putting it mildly.

Responses from United fan accounts included: “Thought it was a fake quote, I’m speechless”, “He does not see what us fans see, delusional”; “Nah, he’s taking the p*ss now” and “Nurse, he’s got out of bed again!”. Another simply wrote, “WTF”.

As for other fans and those speaking from a more neutral point of view, they weren’t much more impartial or any less shocked, remarking “People have been sectioned for less”, “Honestly, how are all Man Utd fans not sick of him? This would drive me nuts.”, and many joking that he was either drunk or high.

On the other hand, plenty jumped to quip that they are indeed entertaining – just maybe not quite in the way the Dutchman might have intended, with one account commenting: “To be honest, I’ve watched United play more this season than any other. I just love watching them take a hiding.”

United have certainly created plenty of drama and memorable scorelines this season, not least of all the 19-minute collapse against Coventry City where they gave away a 3-0 lead and had to scrape through to the FA Cup final on penalties.

The only problem is that they can end up being on either side of them; one week they’re celebrating an iconic 4-3 derby win over Liverpool to take them to a semi-final, and the next they lose by the same scoreline to Chelsea in the 101st minute.

The phrase ‘never a dull moment’ has been thrown around plenty in regards to the Red Devils this season – albeit mostly among non-United fans – but the truth is that between those bursts of excitement, chaos and unpredictability, they often look out of ideas and are regularly labelled as ‘boring’.

The proof appears to be in the stats as well. Not only did they make their worst start to a season since 1962 this year, with ten Hag breaking all manner of unwanted records in the process, but they also looked to be a fair way off the pace in terms of the dynamism and creativity that he claims:

The numbers aren’t exactly backing up his stance.

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The single point against second-from-bottom Burnley and the other results around them have now confirmed that Manchester United cannot qualify for the Champions League next season.

It remains to be seen where they’ll finish in the table and whether a Europa or Conference League place is on the cards, but it’s fair to say that the pressure on ten Hag to make sure that ‘dynamic and entertaining’ version of United he sees turns up against Man City for the FA Cup final next month.

It’ll be a tall order for the faltering side to make it past their fierce and still high-flying rivals but it would make it two trophies in his first two seasons and could be the lifeline the divisive manager needs to keep his job as the club’s rebuild continues.

Where do you stand on it, United fans: would you keep him in the job or does it all depend on whether they lift that trophy come 25 May?

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Featured Images — BBC/Optus Sport/Man United (via Instagram)

Sport

2024 Manchester Marathon raises £29 million for local economy and over £3.7m for charity

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Marathon raises millions for city economy and local charity

Just under a fortnight on from the 2024 Manchester Marathon and the numbers are finally, with the annual race generating nearly £30 million for the local economy and raising over £3.7m for charity.

This year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon saw record numbers of runners and spectators as over 30,000 took part in the popular race, up by roughly 6,000 from 2023, and more than 125k turned up to line the streets of Greater Manchester.

As a result, these huge crowds spent upwards of £29.2 million at business around the city centre and around the 10 boroughs last weekend, serving as one of the most significant contributions to the local economy on the annual calendar.

Not only was this an approximately £8m increase on last year’s tally but, most importantly, a sizeable chunk of that went straight into both regional and national charities.

The 2024 adidas Manchester Marathon was a spectacular day for the city and its economy.

Beyond the boost to local vendors, the hospitality sector and retail businesses, over £3.7 million were allocated to charities such as Alzheimer’s Charity, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and The Christie. 

Over £32,000 was also raised for the Trafford Active Fund, with £1 from every paid entry to the Adidas Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half donated directly to the initiative that benefits local sports clubs and organisations through Trafford Council.

Better still, with City of Trees selected as the chosen ‘Green Runner’ charity, the eco-friendly drive saw roughly 7% of participants opt out of receiving either a finisher t-shirt, medal or both.

The money saved in production goes towards maintaining woodlands and wildlife across Greater Manchester.

Fundraising from the Manchester Marathon is one of it’s biggest upshots.

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This year’s Manchester Marathon also helped produce some of the highest number of passengers on public transport in the city’s history, with a over 175,000 journeys made on Metrolink alone – the highest number of journeys ever recorded on a single day.

This was a 20% increase on 2023’s race day (145k), spotlighting how the event continues to be more environmentally conscious as years go by.

With the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon confirmed to be taking place on Sunday, 27 April next year – and over 12,000 places already sold – the city can already look forward to reaping the economic and social benefits of hosting one of Europe’s largest, flattest, friendliest and most-loved marathons. 

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Featured Images — Adidas Manchester Marathon/The Manc Group

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