Jadon Sancho made his first appearance as a Manchester United player against Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Old Trafford.
Erik Ten Hag didn’t start him in the first leg of the Carabao Cup as he didn’t make the squad. But a decision was made before the match at Old Trafford, to put both Sancho and Anthony Martial in the squad.
Sancho was welcomed with a standing ovation from the fans, who were happy to see the former Borussia Dortmund player play again.
The last time the winger played for Manchester United was against Chelsea on October 22, 2022, which ended in a 1-1 draw. He was removed early in the second half of the match.
The issues of illness and lack of form, coupled with not making the England squad for the 2022 World Cup, made Erik Ten Hag act quickly on sending the winger to the Netherlands to meet a personal trainer.
During the mid-season friendly, Ten Hag announced the winger wouldn’t be part of the squad, with the manager stating he wasn’t fit enough.
Manchester United manager Ten Hag also claimed that Sancho suffered mentally. Sancho deleted all his pictures on Instagram and was not seen for a while.
After a few months of training outside Carrington’s training ground, the player returned to England to start training with his teammates.
How Manchester United Qualified For The Carabao Cup Final
After a convincing 3-0 win in the first leg of the Carabao Cup, Manchester United were already in the finals, but Erik Ten Hag didn’t want to lose a single match on his route to the domestic cup final.
He started the match with a strong team, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez starting in the heart of Manchester United’s defense. Casemiro retained his position in the midfield with the help of Fred.
Antony started on the right wing and Alejandro Garnacho on the left wing, with Wout Weghorst as the striker.
Manchester United started with the ball in possession as they tried to score quick goals against Nottingham Forest. Garnacho was a threat on the right side against Nottingham Forest.
The Argentines beat Nottingham Forest right back Neco William
Dennis Emmanuel had a chance to put Nottingham Forest ahead at Old Trafford, but his attempt was stopped by his own teammate Sam Surridge.
A few minutes later, Casemiro’s cross got to Wout Weghorst, but the header hit the goal post. United were not posing enough threats until Ten Hag introduced Marcus Rashford, Martial, and Sancho.
In the 73rd minute, Martial scored Manchester United‘s first goal. Rashford crossed a low ball into Fred’s path to score the second goal.
Manchester United will face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final. It is a challenge for the Red Devils to win the tournament.
