While Manchester United come to terms with no Champions League football next season, their exiled winger Jadon Sancho is thriving on Europe's elite stage.
Sent back to former club Borussia Dortmund on loan until the end of the season after falling out with United boss Erik ten Hag, Sancho has helped them reach the Champions League semi-finals.
On Wednesday night, Dortmund host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their encounter, with Sancho set to start and continue playing a key role in their push to reach the final at Wembley on June 1.
Sancho's enforced move back to Dortmund, following his £72million move to United in 2021, has proved liberating for him, having been forced to train away from the first-team squad after the breakdown of his relationship with Ten Hag.
Since making his debut in his second spell at Dortmund in a 3-0 win away at Darmstadt on January 13, Sancho has featured in 16 of the German club's 19 games. Of the three he has missed, one was due to illness, another because of a muscular problem, while he was an unused sub in the other.
Essentially, he has become a key player for Dortmund when fit, slotting straight back into his former side, scoring three goals and providing two assists, his confidence and belief slowly returning after his enforced lay-off.
Not prolific by any stretch, but the same number as United winger Antony, despite Sancho having missed four months of the season as a result of his fall-out with Ten Hag.
Indeed, it was Antony's perceived untouchable status under Ten Hag, despite his poor form, that is said to have annoyed Sancho, who found himself repeatedly overlooked in favour of the £85million flop.
Sancho has welcomed his return to Dortmund, despite Edin Terzic's team struggling domestically this season, currently fifth in the Bundesliga, five points adrift of fourth-placed RB Leipzig.
There have been no reports of the supposed indiscipline, namely poor time-keeping and a lack of application, that preceded his public challenging of Ten Hag, when he took to social media to accuse the United boss of lying over the reason for his omission from a match-day squad. Terzic acknowledged Sancho is still not at his best, but after such a prolonged absence from competitive action, that is no great surprise.
“Both I and Jadon notice he's not at his absolute best, but that is completely normal for us,” said Terzic. “We knew that. But we see Jadon perform an action in every training session that shows his extraordinary talent. We see how diligent he is with the tasks and how hard he works on them.”
If Ten Hag is replaced this summer, there may be a way back for Sancho at United under a new manager, if he is willing to give the 25-year-old a reprieve. If not, United will look to recoup up to £40m by selling him.
A place in England's Euro 2024 squad is unlikely and, for now, Sancho's only focus is on tonight, and helping put Dortmund in a strong position ahead of next week's decisive return leg in Paris.
"We just have to concentrate on what's in front of us and how we want to play in the tie," said Sancho. "We have to remain humble in these times. We have to give our all to get to the final. I'm just focusing on the next game and that's how we'll approach it, game by game."
Sancho created Bundesliga history last Saturday, with his consolation goal in Dortmund's 4-1 defeat at RB Leipzig. His 40th Bundesliga goal saw him become the highest English scorer in the competition, overtaking former Cologne, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest winger Tony Woodcock.
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