Erik ten Hag has suggested Manchester United could start the new Premier League season with Jadon Sancho as a makeshift striker after admitting new signing Joshua Zirkzee will take time to get up to speed.
With Rasmus Hojlund sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury and Zirkzee absent from United’s pre-season tour of the US, Sancho was deployed as a centre-forward in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat against Liverpool in South Carolina when their lack of cutting edge was pronounced.
The England winger – who only returned to training with United last month after being exiled for 10 months by Ten Hag following their falling out – also played as an emergency striker in the 3-2 win over Real Betis in San Diego.
United are still open to selling Sancho but have yet to attract a suitable buyer for the player. However, there is now the prospect of the 24-year-old starting upfront in the Community Shield against Manchester City on Saturday – and the Premier League opener at home to Fulham six days later.
It is a remarkable turn of events given that Sancho – who last scored for United in May 2023 – has yet to play a competitive game for the club since he was banished last September for effectively accusing Ten Hag of lying over the reasons for his absence against Arsenal.
United signed Zirkzee from Bologna for £36.5 million this summer but the striker did not feature on the club’s tour owing to his involvement at Euro 2024, when he played just four minutes for the Netherlands, and he has yet to train with the full squad.
With United’s tour players due to have Monday and Tuesday off, the earliest opportunity the Dutchman will get to do that is Wednesday and Ten Hag admits he may not be ready for the start of the season.
Asked if Sancho was an option to start at No 9, the United manager said: “Yes, otherwise we wouldn’t play with him there. That is what we can do if we don’t have the availability of Rasmus.
“But, of course, Joshua Zirkzee is coming in, he has started training, but also consider that he is not so long in training, so that will take time, and he has to adapt to English football and our way of playing as well.
“But there is also Jadon as a striker. We know he can play in wide areas, but also as a false striker, he’s an option.”
Sancho – who missed a golden headed chance against Liverpool from a pinpoint cross by Mason Mount in the first half – was utilised as a false nine during United’s tour of the US last summer but did not end up playing in that role once the Premier League season got under way.
Ten Hag dropped Hojlund for the FA Cup final win over City in May when he played Scott McTominay behind fellow midfielder Bruno Fernandes and there is a chance the manager could look to do something similar at the start of the season.
However, he seems less inclined to play Marcus Rashford through the middle. “I think that Marcus has done it before and he can do it, and it’s definitely an option,” he said. “But I think he is most productive from the left, starting wide and coming inside.
“So when he can arrive there, he is most effective. But we have other options. We have Bruno Fernandes who can play as a striker as well.”
Ten Hag was pleased United created chances against Liverpool but admitted his side had to be much more ruthless in front of goal.
“Absolutely, that was the truth,” he said. “Liverpool played well and took their chances. We also created good chances, but we didn’t take them. We need to be more clinical there and efficient.
“I think in the end it’s like fatigue. We have been here [in the US] for 12 or 13 days and in the end it was a tough game and maybe you miss the freshness and don’t have the power to be clinical.
“What was pleasing was we played against Betis and scored three goals. [Against Liverpool] we created many chances and I would be concerned if we didn’t create chances. I’m pleased with the way we created chances out of open play but also from good pressing situations and good counter-pressing situations.”
Harry Maguire was left out against Liverpool as a precaution and Victor Lindelof was substituted at half-time for the same reason with Ten Hag admitting he could not take too many risks with his centre-halves. Jonny Evans also had to be withdrawn at the interval due to illness.
New £59 million signing Leny Yoro has been ruled out for three months with a fractured metatarsal and Lisandro Martinez is only due to return to training at Carrington on Monday after a holiday in the wake of winning the Copa America with Argentina.
United had a joint bid for Bayern Munich defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui rejected by the Bundesliga club last Thursday and Ten Hag is hopeful there will be more additions before the close of the transfer window on August 30, even though he insisted he has “good options” at centre-back.
“We hope and we’re always looking,” he said. “We have seen this new leadership team is really eager to do business and to make deals. They are on it and if the timing is there and the opportunities are there, I don’t know, I can’t say at this moment. I’m sure when they are there, they will go forward.
“We have good options in the centre-back position. Harry Maguire – precaution, also Jonny Evans was ill and we had to take him out at half-time. Licha Martinez is coming back, a Copa America winner. He played all the games there so I think he’s in very good form.”
Ten Hag said he expects those players who missed the tour due to their international exploits – primarily Martinez, Fernandes, Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Diogo Dalot – to be ready to start the season. “I think, yeah,” he said. “They were so eager to come in earlier because they all want to be part of it for the next game.”
