It remains to be seen whether this marks the end of Sancho’s association with United.
The Red Devils have an option on Sancho’s contract, which expires at the end of the season, to take it to 2027.
But what seemed such an exciting arrival from Dortmund after England’s Euro 2020 final appearance has turned into a massive disappointment.
He has made 83 United appearances and only one – in the 2024 Community Shield – since August 2023.
Prior to that, he missed three months after being sent away to train in the Netherlands by Erik ten Hag because he felt Sancho’s mental and physical state was not right.
The pair had a very public fall-out after Ten Hag criticised Sancho’s training performances, which the manager cited as the reason for the winger’s omission from the squad for a league game at Arsenal.
Sancho spent four months training on his own before he returned to Dortmund on loan, playing a significant role in their run to the Champions League final, where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
United’s then sporting director Dan Ashworth brokered an uneasy peace between player and manager that allowed Sancho to go on last summer’s tour to the USA and make a seven-minute Community Shield appearance.
But that was simply a sticking plaster being applied to a major wound.
Sancho wanted out of Old Trafford. United didn’t want Sancho around. Chelsea took him back to his south London roots, but that failed to work out either.
Now it appears a third loan deal is going to be agreed.