Jadon Sancho can no longer rely on Gary Neville excuse to save Manchester United career

When Manchester United announced their travelling squad to face Leeds yesterday, it was clear from the outset it lacked the star firepower that later pre-season encounters will no doubt possess.

However, for one United first-team player, this afternoon's match in Oslo presents the perfect opportunity to prove his worth to Erik ten Hag.

Jadon Sancho's 2022/23 campaign fizzled out with an underwhelming display at a baking-hot Wembley Stadium. Overall his campaign was better than his debut season but there is still more needed. 2023/24 is huge for the Englishman as he attempts to turn his stuttering United career around.

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In his debut season, Gary Neville warned on Sky Sports that Sancho could follow the same path as Donny van de Beek at United if he was not careful. But the former captain added an important caveat that now no longer applies.

Neville explained in 2021: "Sancho, if he's not careful, is going to end up exactly the same [as Van de Beek]. He's played in some pretty appalling performances, not him, I mean team performances. He's come into a club that's looked totally disjointed in terms of their football, he's played in a far better unit at Borussia Dortmund.

"He's come in and is probably thinking, 'What the hell am I doing here, what is this, there's no organisation or structure?' He's the only player, if you look at Manchester United's defensive running stats, that is anywhere near. I think he's fifth or sixth, he's actually putting a shift in."

United are no longer the disjointed club that Sancho