Jadon Sancho is hoping for a fresh start at Chelsea after his disappointing spell at Man United… he hopes the move will bring out the best in him

As the transfer deadline passed and Friday night turned into Saturday morning, Jadon Sancho’s move from Manchester United to Chelsea slowly but surely drew closer.

Sancho passed away quietly after a disappointing three-year stay and it seemed like a fitting way for him to end it all.

The deal sheet was submitted before the 11pm deadline, giving United and Chelsea two hours to hammer out the details. Chelsea have loaned the 24-year-old for the remainder of the season, with an obligation to sign him permanently in a year’s time for between £20-£25m, depending on where they finish in the league.

There is no loan fee, but Chelsea are paying the majority of Sancho’s £250,000-a-week wage this season. That means Sancho’s last-ditch kick for United was a penalty saved by Ederson in the Community Shield penalty shootout defeat to Manchester City at Wembley.

Tuesday marks exactly one year since Sancho’s spectacular split with Erik ten Hag, with the United manager explaining that the winger’s absence from Arsenal was due to him not training properly.

Jadon Sancho is hoping for a fresh start at Chelsea after joining on loan for the season

Sancho returned from the cold at Manchester United in an uneasy truce with Erik ten Hag

The player responded with a scathing message on social media, in which he portrayed his manager as a liar and called himself ‘a scapegoat’.

Ten Hag demanded an apology, but none was forthcoming, so he sent Sancho away to train independently at the academy’s training facilities in Carrington.

Despite pleas from his teammates and former United director of football John Murtough, Sancho stuck to his principles and was sent back to Dortmund on loan in January, where he rediscovered his best form and helped the Bundesliga club to the Champions League final.

When he returned to United’s pre-season squad in July after candid talks with Ten Hag, it always felt like an uneasy truce, with the new Old Trafford hierarchy keen to get Sancho fit and put him in the shop window.

References to United were noticeably absent from the player’s social media profiles, which continued to be dominated by the yellow and black of Dortmund.

On Friday afternoon, Ten Hag claimed that Sancho could have a place in his plans this season if the transfer window were to close without a move. ‘He is a player in our squad and we are happy with him,’ said the Dutchman.

Ten Hag must have known that Sancho was already halfway out the door, as all parties had long since realised that a divorce was in everyone’s best interests.

The striker’s last goal for United was the penalty saved by Ederson in the Community Shield

Chelsea are obliged to sign him permanently within a year for a fee of between £20m and £25m.

Sancho’s absence from the squad for the opening Premier League games against Fulham and Brighton said everything about his position in the pecking order.

Juventus had been the big player Sancho wanted all summer and United would have preferred to sell him to the Italians. However, Chelsea got their player after failing to secure a swap deal for Raheem Sterling.

Sancho’s time at United is over after 83 games, 12 goals and six assists in three years, which began with a £73m move from Dortmund, making him the second most expensive English player ever at the time.

Sancho was reportedly unimpressed with what he found at United, with problems with his discipline and time management resurfacing.

It’s been almost three years since he last played for his country, and he may be hoping a fresh start will bring out the best in him.