Man Utd end Jadon Sancho chapter as six-player exodus confirmed

By SABC Sport
10th June 2026

Manchester United have confirmed that Jadon Sancho will leave the club at the end of June after deciding against activating the one-year extension option in his contract, bringing an end to a disappointing five-year spell at Old Trafford.

The England winger is among six departures announced by United in their annual retained and released list, alongside first-team teammates Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia. Academy players Sonny Aljofree, James Bailey and Malachi Sharpe will also leave when their contracts expire later this month.

While the departures of Casemiro and Malacia had already been made public, Sancho's future had remained unresolved despite spending the last two-and-a-half seasons away from Old Trafford on a succession of loan spells.

Signed from Borussia Dortmund for 73 million pounds in 2021, Sancho arrived as one of United's marquee acquisitions alongside Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he struggled to replicate the form that had made him one of Europe's most sought-after young talents, managing just 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances for the club.

Sancho's final appearance for United came in the 2024 Community Shield, where he featured as a late substitute. He has not played a competitive match for the club since August 2023 after a public fallout with then-manager Erik ten Hag following his omission from a trip to Arsenal.

The 26-year-old subsequently spent time on loan at Dortmund, Chelsea and Aston Villa. During that period he reached a Champions League final with Dortmund before winning the Conference League with Chelsea and the Europa League with Aston Villa. He was part of Villa's squad that defeated Freiburg in last month's Europa League final.

Despite those successes away from Manchester, neither Chelsea nor Villa opted to make his move permanent. Chelsea instead paid a penalty fee after talks broke down, with reports suggesting Sancho was unwilling to reduce his wage demands.

A return to Dortmund could yet be on the cards, with sporting director Lars Ricken previously admitting the Bundesliga club were assessing the possibility of bringing him back for a third spell.

Meanwhile, Casemiro and Malacia will also depart as expected. Casemiro leaves after four seasons at United, having scored 26 goals in 160 appearances and helped the club win both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup following his move from Real Madrid.

Malacia's time at Old Trafford was heavily disrupted by injury. The Dutch full-back made 50 appearances across four years but featured only three times in the Premier League last season after battling serious knee problems.

United also confirmed they have offered a new contract to goalkeeper Dermot Mee, who has been a regular presence in first-team training while representing the Under-21 side. Defenders Albert Mills and Dante Plunkett are expected to sign their first professional contracts in July.

There was, however, no update on the future of England youth international Godwill Kukonki, who scored United's goal in the FA Youth Cup final.