Erik ten Hag must solve £73m attacking puzzle at Manchester United

Jadon Sancho struggled to control the wide smile etched across his face after making his Manchester United return last month.

Sancho had spent three months away from the pitch and he looked delighted to make his return against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford, where he received a heartwarming reception from thousands of supporters.

After the full-time whistle, Sancho showed his appreciation for that brilliant reception by applauding each corner of the ground. "Wow, just want to say a massive thank you to everyone for the support I've received," he wrote on Instagram.

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Erik ten Hag expertly and sensitively handled the Sancho situation and seeing the 22-year-old, who decided to take a step back from social media during his time away, playing football with a smile on his face is what everyone wanted.

Since making that return, the winger's attention has turned to winning a place in the starting line-up and that is his next challenge, although considering the players currently ahead of him, that might be another mountain to climb.

Sancho has played against Leeds, Barcelona, Leicester, Newcastle, Southampton, Real Betis and Fulham since his return and he's played on the left wing, in attacking midfield and the right wing across those appearances.

He was brought to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund for £72.9million in the summer of 2021 to play on the right side, but he's predominantly played on the left in Manchester, which is the position he's looked most comfortable in.

That should be no surprise when analysing his Dortmund statistics, as he scored 20 goals from the left wing in 3,099 minutes and 24 goals from the right wing in 5,265 minutes