Set you free! Manchester United informs Sancho no contract renewal; he can freely find a new club in three days and leave on a free transfer.

The story of Manchester United and Jadon Sancho has ended. While he remains officially a Red Devils player, Italian transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the club has officially informed Sancho’s agent that they will not extend his contract after it expires next summer. Although United holds a one-year renewal option, they are 100% certain not to use it.

This means that, according to FIFA transfer regulations, Sancho will be free to negotiate with clubs outside England starting three days from now in 2026, allowing him to pre-sign a contract and join another team on a free transfer next season. If Sancho wishes, Manchester United also would not object to him negotiating directly with Premier League clubs.

Manchester United chose to forgo the option to renew Sancho’s contract, willing to let the £73 million transfer fee go to waste rather than extending his deal by a year. The concern was that if they renewed and failed to find a buyer, the club would have to continue paying his £250,000 weekly wages, totaling £12.5 million annually.

This season, when Manchester United loaned the 25-year-old Sancho, Aston Villa covered 80% of his salary, while the remaining 20% was potentially offset by loan fees and bonuses. Along with the £5 million compensation from Chelsea when they returned a player, this helped relieve a significant wage burden.

However, Sancho is likely to be remembered as one of Manchester United’s biggest disappointments in history. Former Red Devils player Eriksen recently revealed in an interview the difficulties of being a current Manchester United player, explaining that the pressure to live up to the standards of predecessors has caused many, like Sancho, to succumb under the weight and fail.

Eriksen told The Times of London: "At Manchester United, the most important thing is how people perceive your playing style and player image, because everything you do is compared to the legends who held your position before. No matter the role, people think: ‘Now we have Casemiro, he must be compared to Roy Keane.’ Or: ‘We had Van Persie before, so the current striker must perform like him.’ So, at Manchester United, from the moment you put on this jersey, you carry the weight of all history and must continue the legacy while also improving or changing it.”

The 33-year-old Eriksen believes that goal is impossible: "Considering Manchester United won eight Premier League titles in 11 years previously, replicating that is nearly impossible. This creates enormous pressure on players. Moreover, it’s clear that in an environment with frequent managerial changes and team restructuring, it becomes even harder for players to truly succeed.”

Now playing for Bundesliga’s Wolfsburg, Eriksen thinks the approach of managers like Ten Hag and Amolin in airing internal conflicts publicly is not ideal. "It’s useless. Yes, completely useless. I believe it doesn’t help players at all. Some things can be said privately, but making them public is unwise, as it adds extra pressure and labels to players who are already trying their best. I feel it offers no benefit. Whether right or wrong, for us players it feels like: here we go again, another headline!”

Eriksen added: "Many commentators, Manchester United legends, and fans have their own opinions. Clearly, the external noise puts huge pressure on players. Internally, if distractions could be blocked out, I think chances of success would be greater. Amolin brought his ideas and still tries to change things to fit his model. He believes success should come from specific players in certain positions using a particular style. He has had to make many changes because players are not used to the new system. Historically, Manchester United preferred different formations.”

Manchester United fans hope that the issues Eriksen mentioned will be completely resolved so that Old Trafford will no longer see players like Sancho, and the club’s environment can be refreshed.