MANCHESTER UNITED fans loved seeing the sweet moment between Jadon Sancho and Erik Ten Hag as the Dutchman hinted at a new role for the returning star.
The England international winger finally made a comeback for the Red Devils after a 15 week absence.
The 22-year-old came off the bench to help United beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 which secured a 5-0 aggregate scoreline and a place in the Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle.
Sancho has been sidelined since October with manager Ten Hag believing he was not physically or mentally fit enough to play.
The ex-Dortmund ace has only recently returned to full training with the first team since his last appearance away to Chelsea on October 22.
Sancho was made to focus on an individual training programme after linking up with coaches Ten Hag had previously worked with during the World Cup.
However, there now appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for the attacker following his cameo at Old Trafford.
And his boss looked delighted to have Sancho back, as the pair enjoyed a laugh on the touchline before the Dutch coach gave the youngster a pat on the head before he entered the fray.
Ten Hag brought on Sancho just after the hour mark, and the youngster could not keep the smile off his face as he entered the fray.
The Dutch coach then had a brief chat on the touchline as chants of “Sancho, Sancho” echoed around the ground before he gave him a pat on the back of the head to send him on his way.
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And fans were quick to spot the warm embrace, with one tweeting: “Sancho’s smile and Ten Hag’s little encouragement is all I needed to see.”
Another wrote: “Ten Hag with Sancho right there is why I love him as manager.”
While another added: “Sancho smiling with Ten Hag yh it's time to cook.”
Sancho is usually deployed out wide, but this evening he came on and played the No.10 role behind fellow sub Anthony Martial.
And afterwards Ten Hag hinted that could be his new role, saying: “Jadon, I know he can play as a number 10 and a winger. We can mix it often and that is what I like.”
