Manchester United’s sporting director, Dan Ashworth, has insisted Jadon Sancho was not forced out of the Premier League club against his will.
Sancho joined Chelsea on a loan deal on transfer deadline day despite looking to have made his peace with United manager, Erik ten Hag, following their fall-out last season.
As part of the loan agreement, Chelsea have an obligation to buy Sancho at the end of the season, for a fee between £20-£25million.
But Ashworth has denied the suggestion that Sancho was driven out of Old Trafford because of his spat with Ten Hag.
When asked if Sancho’s fall-out with Ten Hag meant there was simply no future and no way back for him at United, Ashworth said: “Nothing to do with that. It was a decision that we made – if it’s right for Jadon and it’s right for us to move on.
“He wanted to explore the opportunity at Chelsea, like Scott McTominay wanted to explore the opportunity at Napoli, like Aaron Wan-Bissaka wanted to explore the opportunity at West Ham. We’re not in a position where we’re kicking players out of the club.”