Dortmund insist Jadon Sancho missed the game against Freiburg due to illness.
The announcement comes as rumours swirl around a potential move to Man Utd with the English transfer window closing on Monday at 10:59pm.
Sporting director Michael Zorc told Sky Sports Germany before the match against Freiburg that Sancho was missing from Lucien Favre’s entire first team squad due to illness, however it was expected Sancho would return to the team in some format today.
Zorc told Sky Sports Germany: “He was ill. That’s why Jadon is not playing today.
“We had an agreement that he could make the transfer (to Man Utd) up to a certain point, then the door closed.”
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It is currently rumoured that a bid of £100m by United will be enough to prise Sancho from Signal Iduna Park.
Sancho missed Dortmund’s last two games – a 2-0 loss to Augsburg and a 3-2 defeat to Bayern in the German Super Cup – due to a ‘respiratory infection’ but was expected to return to the squad today.
However the English attacking midfielder didn’t even make Lucien Favre’s bench which will only add further speculation to the stories swirling around Sancho’s proposed move to Man Utd.
Sancho has been subject to numerous offers from United with the latest bid being in the region of £91m, but Dortmund put a deadline for the transfer taking place before their pre-season training camp a month ago, and Man Utd are believed to have cooled interest after fearing losing face having so many bids rejected.
It was rumoured today that Dortmund are expected to finally accept a bid, and with Sancho out the squad this will only add to the speculation.
If Dortmund do accept a bid the transfer will be a formality with reports saying Sancho has already agreed personal terms with United.
How would Sancho fit in at United?
It’ll be a conundrum for United boss Ole Gunner Solskjaer where to fit Sancho if he moves to Old Trafford.
Solskjaer seems to have settled on a front four of Martial, Rashford, the newly purchased Fernandez and the emerging Mason Greenwood.
But seasons are long and it’ll be good to have a player to rotate – and what a player to rotate.
The issue will be whether Solskjaer can keep all five players happy with one of them content to sit on the bench in pivotal games.
Fernandez has only recently been acquired from Sporting for £50m and has become an integral part of the United team, whilst Rashford is the home-town star, Martial was the top goalscorer last season and in Greenwood United have one of the emerging talents in world football.
Analysis: a £100m is a lot in the current market
To splash a £100m on one player with the struggles the world is going through due to coronavirus seems almost imprudent.
Where Man Utd have found the cash to be able to offer such a bid is anyone’s guess.
The Glazer’s financial interests would have been hit as badly in the US as the UK with their other major sporting franchise, the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, currently playing NFL matches behind closed doors.
Sancho does look the real deal though and United’s neighbours and city rivals might be thinking what could have been had they not let the former Watford Academy player leave to Germany for just £8m in 2017.
It would have been some link up between Sancho and Phil Foden in the Premier League, but it looks like there’s a chance they could be playing on opposite sides of the Manchester derby.
Whether this season or next, who knows, but today could have seen a pivotal moment pass in one of the longest running transfer sagas of the summer.
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 