Manchester United as a whole is improving gradually under Erik ten Hag. In the first two games of the 2022/23 season against Brighton and Brentford, the team got a reality check about how long it would take for the Dutchman to implement his style but in recent weeks against Tottenham and Chelsea, the football has been a lot better and closer to what fans will see in the long term.
However, one player that doesn't seem to be along for the ride is Jadon Sancho. Many United fans expected the English winger to kick on under the new regime, but in recent weeks he seems to have regressed rather than progressed.
Sancho has been under heavy criticism for his impact in matches; he does not take his man on enough and this limits the number of opportunities he has to create for his teammates. Even the return of Luke Shaw to the left-back spot, who has been impressive in his handful of appearances, hasn't had the positive effect many expected.
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The former Borussia Dortmund star seems to have retained his spot due to the fact his major competition is Marcus Rashford - who has been playing in the number nine position due to Anthony Martial's injuries. Once the Frenchman returns, though, Sancho could lose his spot.
But even before then, he could be at risk of losing his spot to another member of the United squad. Anthony Elanga was a regular starter under Ralf Rangnick but has seen limited minutes since the appointment of Ten Hag.
Elanga came on against Tottenham for a few minutes when Cristiano Ronaldo refused to come on, but he saw more game time against Chelsea. And when he came on he showed why Ten Hag might have more reason to use him going forwards.
His play was crucial to United's equaliser and even in his short cameo, he showed the directness that had been missing with Sancho on the left. Given that Azpilicueta had been struggling at right wing-back early on, it may have been a different result if he had the Swedish winger running against him from an earlier time in the match instead.
Overall, United spent a lot of money on Sancho, so they will be unwilling to give up on him just yet, nor should they do so since he is an incredibly talented individual. But if the 22-year-old doesn't improve in the near future he will need to be dropped so United have the best chance of securing top four – and Elanga could quite easily take his place.
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