Subbed On Then Subbed Off! Despite Poor Performances, Sancho Won’t Return to Manchester United in January Window
In the last round of the Premier League, during Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Manchester City, Jadon Sancho came on as a substitute in the 29th minute and was substituted off in the 74th minute—marking his first such experience in the Premier League.
Regarding the current situation, Sancho will definitely not return to Manchester United before the end of this season—the reason being that his loan contract with Aston Villa does not include a January break clause.
The 25-year-old winger, who left Erik ten Hag’s "clear-out list" to join Villa this summer, has yet to start a Premier League match. Even in the weekend’s win over City, he endured the awkward scenario of being subbed on then off. Sancho’s total Premier League playing time for Villa stands at just 53 minutes, with the club covering 80% of his £250,000 weekly salary.
Given his limited game time, there have been doubts about a potential early return to Old Trafford. Manchester United are actually in urgent need of right-wing reinforcements as Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui head to the month-long Africa Cup of Nations between December and January. However, the absence of a break clause in the loan deal means Sancho will stay at Villa Park until his contract with United expires this summer—though the club has an option to extend it by 12 months to avoid losing him for free next June.
The winger previously revived his career with a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund in January 2024, before joining Chelsea last season with a mandatory buyout clause of up to £25 million. When the Blues eventually backed out of the deal, they paid United £5 million under a contractual penalty clause to send Sancho back.
