Jadon Sancho's best position at Manchester United is obvious

Antony’s potential return from injury for Saturday’s FA Cup final comes as an unexpected, and probably optimistic, update.

The Brazilian needed crutches to walk himself into Old Trafford on Sunday after suffering a nasty-looking ankle problem inside half-an-hour of Thursday’s 4-1 win over Chelsea, having to be carried off on a stretcher.

His absence would be a blow and it seems reasonable to assume that even if fit, the winger will not be starting at Wembley against Manchester City, a team he has already scored against this season.

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It opens the door for an FA Cup final start for Sancho, who would be beginning his first game under the arch since England’s 3-0 friendly win over Ireland in November 2021.

You have to go back to November 2019 and a 7-0 win over Montenegro to find the last time he started a game at Wembley in front of a crowd. February’s League Cup cameo was a much happier experience than his one in the Euro 2020 final 20 months earlier.

Erik ten Hag has kept faith in Sancho during the second half of the season despite mainly tepid outings. He’s started 11 of the last 15 Premier League games, mostly on the left amid injuries to Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.

He’s played 19 games on the left this season and has scored three times, leaving United fans frustrated. The Reds faithful were delighted to welcome him back in February after his time away from the squad over the festive period but will still have wanted more from the 23-year-old in the months since.

In his final season at Borussia Dortmund, the youngster played on the left flank almost as much as the right (15 vs 14) but maybe that flattered to deceive. 71 of his 131