Manchester United are making the best out of a bad situation with Jadon Sancho

There was a moment before Manchester United's friendly against Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas when Jadon Sancho caught up with Julian Brandt, Emre Can and Thorgan Hazard.

Sancho shared an embrace with his former teammates and looked relaxed with his baseball cap on backwards, but he wouldn't have imagined then he could re-sign for Dortmund in January. The winger had looked sharp in pre-season and Erik ten Hag had experimented with playing him in a central role, which gave hope he could finally kick on after a disappointing two years.

Sancho started the season by making three appearances from the bench in the opening three games. He was then absent from the squad to play Arsenal and a public dispute with his manager followed. The 23-year-old refused to apologise and the stalemate has lasted until the January transfer window, which finally represents an opportunity for a resolution to an unsatisfactory situation.

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Through stubbornness or naivety, Sancho has wasted a small chapter of his career and United have been forced to further diminish the value of an already depreciating £73million asset.

Sancho has looked worth a fraction of the fee paid for his signature during his time in Manchester - his contribution of 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances is awful - and his stock has spectacularly fallen.

United would have accepted a loss on any sale of Sancho without the player being banished and falling out with a manager, so not playing a competitive game in four months certainly hasn't helped.

That's why a sale of Sancho was always unlikely this January: it would be a huge risk to sign him on a permanent