Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals the real reason Jadon Sancho struggled at Manchester United

He said: “We wanted to take the next step — not move away from what we had, but add something different in the final third.

“He was unlucky, though. Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection.

“He was in hospital and really struggled for his first 10 days or so before he could even start training with us.

Solskjaer went on to add: “That hasn’t really come out before. So, yeah, I never really got to play with him properly because by the time he was finding form again, I was already on my way out.”

Jadon Sancho now finds himself at Aston Villa

Sancho returned on loan from Borussia Dortmund last season after being exiled by Ten Hag earlier in the campaign following a public dispute between the pair.

The return of Erik ten Hag has opened the door for a potential return of Sancho as part of pre-season this summer if Unai Emery decides against bringing him back permanently.

If not Aston Villa, there will be plenty of clubs who still hold faith that they can get the best out of him in their own system.

Jadon Sancho offers insight into struggles at Manchester United

While Solskjaer offered some insight into why Sancho started slowly, his behaviour under Erik ten Hag left little room for sympathy.

Sancho’s public fallout with Ten Hag included a social media statement where he claimed he was being unfairly singled out. It was an unprofessional move and signalled the beginning of the end for his time at Old Trafford.

During his loan spell, Sancho also made a comment on Marcus Rashford’s post, replying “freedom” – another example of the issues that followed him off the pitch.

An ear infection might explain why things didn’t click right away, but it doesn’t account for what happened in the months and years that followed. That responsibility falls squarely on Sancho.