Gareth Southgate has told Jadon Sancho that he still has a future with England amid the young star’s troubles at Manchester United.
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Sancho has won 23 caps for his country so far, but his last appearance for the Three Lions was back in October 2021.
At present, the winger is nowhere near in contention to be a part of Southgate’s squad, having endured a difficult time since leaving Borussia Dortmund for United in a £73million transfer.
At United he has record just 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances so far, compared to 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games for the Bundesliga giants.
His situation recently went from bad to worse after a public spate with Erik ten Hag, where he accused his manager of lying after he claimed the 23-year-old was not performing well enough in training.
His future with the Red Devils now looks bleak, with reports suggesting that Sancho wants to leave Old Trafford in January after crunch talks with Ten Hag failed to resolve the pair’s differences.
With his club future in the balance, his international career is also in jeopardy, but Southgate says that Sancho, like any other England player, can work his way back into the Three Lions squad.
‘I think that’s the challenge for him now,’ Southgate said in his pre-match press conference ahead of England’s friendly against Scotland on Tuesday.
‘It’s been the best part of a couple of years since we worked with him, it’s difficult to say exactly the position that he finds himself and where he is with it all.
‘But for every player that’s not with us, there is always an opportunity if they can seize the form and have the [right] level of performances.’
Sancho’s poor form and fitness issues cost him a place at the 2022 World Cup and unless things turn around quickly, it seems unlikely he’ll regain his place in time for next summer’s Euro 2024.
Competition in the forward positions is incredibly tough, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka’s places in the starting XI seemingly set in stone, leaving the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and more to fight for a spot.
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