Erik ten Hag has revealed that he does not know whether exiled forward Jadon Sancho will ever play for Manchester United again.

Sancho can’t train with United’s first team anymore because England’s international player angered Ten Hag when he said he was a “scapegoat” for being dropped after a loss to Arsenal in September.

Ten Hag has hinted that this wasn’t the only thing that Sancho did wrong that was taken into account when the punishment was decided.

Ten Hag told the 23-year-old that he was not in the right physical and mental shape to play for United, so he spent part of last season training alone in the Netherlands.

The United manager said before Saturday’s Premier League game against Brighton that he didn’t know how long Sancho’s punishment would last or if he would ever play for United again.

Asked whether the former Borussia Dortmund star would pull on the United shirt again, Ten Hag said: “I don’t know. I am sitting here. Tomorrow we have a big game, we are going into a new block of games, many games in a condensed programme. I focus on that.”

Before the transfer deadline, there were rumours that Sancho would move to Saudi Arabia, but he will now stay with United at least until the window reopens in January.

Sancho was praised as one of English football’s rising stars when he moved to United from Dortmund in 2021. His fall from grace is shocking.

Ten Hag was clearly annoyed that he had to answer so many questions about Sancho the night before a big game for his team, which had started the Premier League season poorly.

“He is not available, so in this moment, he is not important, because he can’t contribute,” Ten Hag said.

When he took over United last year, Ten Hag said he took over a club with “no good culture.” He was very clear that he was not focused on Sancho.

“It’s in favour of the team. That is what my decision is based on,” he said.

“That is not about me, and to be strict. No. This is in favour of the team. I don’t think about that (Sancho’s tweet) and I don’t talk about that, because I have to win a game. It is all about that.

“The players who are there and available deserve me. I have to guide them, I have to prepare them, it is about that. I only focus on the players who are available.”