Erik ten Hag has once again refused to put a timescale on Jadon Sancho's return as the Manchester United winger continues to train alone.
It was revealed last month that Sancho, 22, was training in the Netherlands with coaches recommended by Ten Hag in a bid to recapture this form. The ex- Borussia Dortmund man has struggled to replicate the remarkable form that convinced the Old Trafford hierarchy to fork out £73million for him 18 months ago and has been in and out of the team this term.
Prior to United's 2-0 win over Burnley in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, Ten Hag confirmed that Sancho was unavailable and was unlikely to return to the fold anytime soon.
Speaking after the win over the Clarets, the Dutchman reiterated that stance after giving a blunt response to questions related to Sancho. When he was asked if he had an update on the wide-man, Ten Hag said: "No" before giving the same one-word response when he was quizzed about a specific return date.
Ten Hag revealed last week that Sancho wasn't right "physically or mentally" and was not ready to return to the fold. The youngster has been training in the Netherlands after missing out on a spot in England's World Cup squad.
Speaking last week, Ten Hag said: 'I don't think he will be back this week, no. We want to bring him back as quickly as possible, but I can't give a prognosis of when that will be.
"Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. We got a drop of quality level and sometimes you don't know why or what is causing it.
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"That is what we are doing now to try to get him back there. It is a combination of physically and mentally."
The England ace enjoyed a decent start to the season after netting twice in his first five Premier League games but failed to add to that tally prior to the mid-season break. Sancho also chalked up disappointing returns last year following his big-money move from Dortmund, accumulating just three goals and three assists in 29 appearances.
Those returns are a shadow of the numbers Sancho amassed during his time in the Bundesliga: he plundered 38 goals and notched 51 assists in just 104 league games for the German giants after walking out on Manchester City as a youngster.
Sancho missed out on United's recent winter training camp in Spain in order to continue with his individual programme. The winger last featured for United on October 22 after being sidelined for the final matches before the World Cup break through illness.
