"That allowed us to make that decision" – Manchester United technical director explains why Jadon Sancho was allowed to exit on deadline day

Manchester United technical director Dan Ashworth has revealed why the Red Devils decided to send Jadon Sancho on loan to Chelsea on the summer transfer deadline day.

Last Friday (August 30), the Red Devils finalised a deal with Chelsea to loan out Sancho for the rest of the 2024-25 season. They have reportedly included an obligation to buy clause of around £25 million.

When asked to explain Manchester United's decision to let go of the ex-Manchester City youth player, Ashworth replied (h/t Tribal Football):

"We felt we had enough depth in that particular position to be able to cover it. We have four really good wide players; Jadon was the fifth, and that allowed us to make that decision."

Asked to opine on working with manager Erik ten Hag, he responded:

"I have really enjoyed working with Erik over the last eight weeks. I see that my job is to support him in every way possible to fully concentrate on the training pitch and the tactical game plan to ensure the team's success."

Last season, Sancho had a major fallout with Ten Hag after he publicly called out the Dutchman for criticizing his poor training performances. He was shunned from the Red Devils' first-team for the first half of the campaign before joining Borussia Dortmund on a temporary transfer.

Sancho, 24, made the most of his loan move as he helped BVB reach the UEFA Champions League final last term. He registered three goals and as many assists in 21 overall outings for the Bundesliga side.

The England international contributed just 12 goals and six assists in 83 overall appearances for Manchester United before joining Chelsea.

Ex-Manchester United coach says summer signing is ready to shine for team this term

Last month, Manchester United signed Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt in a transfer worth up to £43 million from Bayern Munich.

Speaking to The Sun, ex-Red Devils coach Rene Meulensteen claimed that the 25-year-old centre-back is ready to succeed at the Premier League club. He said (h/t Tribal Football):

"I think he's equipped for Premier League football, because of his physique and he's a young player with experience in the Champions League. It's going to be interesting run of developments in the upcoming games whether [Erik] ten Hag is going to go for a partnership with De Ligt and [Lisandro] Martinez which means [Harry] Maguire is falling by the wayside again."

So far, De Ligt has started one of his three appearances for United.