Jadon Sancho exit talk gives Manchester United a decision to make

It was supposed to be the season Jadon Sancho answered his critics at Manchester United. Instead, he only added further uncertainty.

The 23-year-old looked like he would be a big winner from Erik ten Hag's appointment, yet almost a year on, he is at risk of being a loser from the next stage of their rebuild.

Ten Hag insists he has seen 'good progress' from Sancho during his time at the club, but there is an acceptance from all parties that he must show greater levels of improvement if he is to play a key role going forward.

The Manchester Evening News revealed back in April that Ten Hag was beginning to lose patience with the English forward, though he was given plenty of opportunities in the final months of the season.

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Sancho showed some glimpses of star quality during the run-in, but ultimately he hasn't been good enough throughout his two years at the club and the credit he accrued during his impressive spell at Borussia Dortmund has almost run out.

And that is the main problem United face heading into a second summer of rebuilding under Ten Hag. There still remains some belief that Sancho has all the raw materials to reach his potential, but United do not have the luxury of time on their side to see if that happens.

"He did very well on the right side, and I think he played a very good game," Ten Hag said after beating Chelsea in the penultimate league match of the season.

"I think Jadon Sancho is one of the players who made progress in the season, and there were many players in our squad who made good progress. I think it's a good base to build further on."

United's dilemma is which position he will be able to build upon it in. He was