UPDATE 1-Soccer-Man Utd forward Sancho re-joins Dortmund on loan
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Jan 11 (Reuters) - Jadon Sancho has re-joined Borussia Dortmund on loan from Manchester United, both clubs confirmed on Thursday, bringing an end to the attacker's exile from football over a disciplinary issue.
United will pay a portion of Sancho's wages during his loan, according to reports in British media.
The England international joined United from Dortmund for 85 million euros ($93.33 million) in August 2021, signing a five-year deal, but failed to hold down a regular spot and has made just three appearances this season after becoming embroiled in a row with manager Erik ten Hag.
"Sancho will now return to Germany on a temporary basis as Borussia Dortmund prepare to resume their Bundesliga campaign after a winter break," United said in a statement.
"The England international of 23 caps leaves with our best wishes for the remainder of this season."
Sancho was made to train away from the United first-team after saying in a now-deleted statement on social media that he had been made a "scapegoat" following his omission from their squad for the 3-1 defeat by Arsenal on Sept. 3.
Ten Hag said at the time that Sancho had been left out because of poor performances in training.
Sancho, a former youth player at United's rivals Manchester City, was a key cog in the Dortmund setup during his first spell at the Ruhr valley club between 2017-21, scoring 50 goals in just over 130 appearances.
"When I came into the dressing room today, it felt like 'coming home'," Sancho said. "I can't wait to see my team mates again, go out on the pitch, play football with a smile on my face, prepare goals, score goals and help qualify for the Champions League."
In his final season before joining United, he scored 16 goals and provided 20 assists in 38 games for Dortmund in all competitions, forming a lethal partnership with Norway striker Erling Haaland.
The duo helped Dortmund qualify for the Champions League with a third-placed finish in the Bundesliga and also won the German Cup.
Dortmund will be hoping the 23-year-old can provide them a similar lift this season, with the club fifth in the league standings, 15 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
"Jadon is an absolute difference player and I’m looking forward to seeing him back in black and yellow soon," Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said.
"Even though he hasn't played any competitive games in the past few months, we are sure that he will quickly settle back in with us, get into top form and use his qualities to help us achieve our goals for the season."
($1 = 0.9107 euros) (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)
