Woodward dithering leaves Man United in Sancho’s limbo

Only one thing this summer seems to have dragged on longer than England’s recent international breakup and while sympathy may be in short supply, poor Jadon Sancho has been prominent in both gibberish. At least your Three Lions obligations: performances suggest these games were a burden – now they are fulfilled. Now Sancho returns to the daily routine of waiting for Manchester United to do something. Anything.

United’s desire to sign Sancho is no secret. Chief among his recruiting requirements is a right-side attacker and the Dortmund star meets all of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s requirements. While United may appreciate links with the 427 supposed alternatives from a negotiation point of view, they apparently remain absolutely determined to sign Sancho.

That determination will be crucial in the next 25 days because the longer Ed Woodward delays in pursuit of Solskjaer’s main goal, the less he can afford to walk away.

Woodward may have already passed that point of no return. If he fails to land Sancho, the blame will fall squarely on his feet, no matter how brief. And regardless of whether United opts for one of many alternatives, Solskjaer would once again be tasked with getting the club back to where they feel they belong with a shorter squad than they intended or should be.

United fans cannot be blamed for being skeptical about the prospects of signing Sancho, given Woodward’s story. His seven-year tenure as executive vice president and lackey of the Glazers is plagued with fruitless searches and failed pursuits. The more recent story may offer some encouragement, even if tempered by Woodward’s refusal to work at a pace other than that of a snail.

Lately, United has achieved its goals, but the pattern is the same; Woodward refuses to pay the ‘United tax’ as he spends weeks and months clashing with clubs far less motivated to retire than the Red Devils. With Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes, two players United were clamoring for, Woodward played hard before finally releasing and paying the fee that had been set from the start.

The feeling remains that it will be the case for Sancho again. Everything seems to be in place except the transfer fee and in that sense, Dortmund is in a position of command. Especially since they have been Woodward’s scourge for the past year after beating United against Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Woodward is not Dortmund’s whore, but they certainly have an advantage with Sancho out of reach.

You don’t have to beg, but you have no choice but to be a good boy and obey his orders. And the demands of Dortmund are not unreasonable. Sancho’s talent, age, profile and contract status mean it’s fair to ask United to pay the highest fee in their history to sign a player who will almost certainly demonstrate better long-term value than your current signature record. While Sancho refuses to be agitated by a move, why should he? – The position of the Germans will not wane and time is a bigger ally for them than United.

The suggestion has been that United could wait a year But the risks will not diminish. In fact, the opposite is true. Barring a loss of form or fitness, Sancho is unlikely to come out cheaper – his price will only go up if he continues to churn out ridiculous numbers in the Dortmund attack before showing off his obvious talents at the European Championship. And next summer, United won’t be the only bidder in the room. As things stand, they have a free run at Sancho, while next year, more attractive options may present themselves for the 20-year-old.

Woodward’s big deals in recent windows have closed just before the window closes, and a seemingly inevitable repeat will see Sancho miss United’s first three games of the Premier League season. Given how tight the margins are and the efficient recruiting of some of his rivals, Solskjaer could be significantly hampered by his board shuffling to get Sancho out the door while pinching a few pennies.

Maybe we were wrong at Woodward. Perhaps now that England have burst their bubble and the League of Nations is no longer a distraction, we will see rapid and genuine progress in the search for United. But history suggests it would be a bigger shock than Sancho’s tenure in Dortmund on October 6.

As it stands, it appears that Sancho and Solskjaer seem destined to remain in limbo for a while longer. But the longer Woodward keeps them both waiting, the less he can afford to spoil his biggest deal.

Ian Watson