Erik ten Hag sent the briefest of farewell messages to Jadon Sancho following the Manchester United outcast’s return to Borussia Dortmund on loan.
Sancho has moved back to the Bundesliga after training on his own at Carrington for the last four-and-a-half months as a result of a public fall-out with Ten Hag.
The 23-year-old winger refused to apologise to Ten Hag after effectively branding the United manager a liar over his reasons for dropping Sancho at Arsenal in August.
Ten Hag has said little about Sancho since then, and offered a curt response at his weekly press conference on Friday when asked about the layer’s move back to Dortmund.
‘I hope he’s doing well, so I wish him the best of good luck. That’s it. I hope he’s doing well and he’ll be a success,’ said Ten Hag. Asked again, he added: ‘I replied, I think it’s enough.’
Jadon Sancho pictured on the training field with Borussia Dortmund after he returned to the German club on loan from Manchester United
The £73million winger said he looked forward to ‘playing with a smile’ again at Dortmund after months of misery in exile at United
Erik ten Hag banished Sancho to train with United’a academy teams after the pair clashed
Dortmund are paying United a £3million loan fee and the deal includes up to £3.4m in add-ons based on their progress in the Champions League and qualification for Europe next season, as well as the number of games Sancho plays in Germany.
There is no option for Dortmund to buy the 23-year-old at the end of the loan, having sold him to United for £73m in the summer of 2021.
On Thursday, Sancho welcomed the opportunity to make a fresh start back at Dortmund where he registered 50 goals and 64 assists over four seasons.
‘When I came into the dressing-room today, it felt like coming home,’ he said. ‘I know the club inside and out, I’ve always been very close with the fans here, and I’ve never lost contact with those in charge.
‘I can’t wait to see my teammates again, go out on the pitch, play football with a smile on my face, prepare goals, score goals and help qualify for the Champions League.’