Man United aim brutal dig at Jadon Sancho ahead of their opening game against Arsenal

Manchester United have taken a sly dig at Jadon Sancho ahead of their Premier League opener against Arsenal.

On Sunday afternoon, Manchester United welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford for their opening match of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.

Following a weekend that saw the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham start the season with a win, the pressure will be on both Manchester United and Arsenal to secure three points on Sunday.

Several new summer signings are expected to be involved for both sides, with the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres expected to make their Premier League debuts after being spotted on the squad list for the game.

However, it's not just the new signings presence in the squad that has caught the attention of fans on social media, as they are convinced that United have used it to take a dig at out-of-favour forward Sancho.

Jadon Sancho has been linked with a move away from United this summer. (Image: Getty)

Throughout the summer, it has been clear that United are eager to end their rocky relationship with Sancho and secure a move away for him before the window closes on September 1.

After signing for United from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund back in July 2021 for a reported fee of £73million, Sancho has failed to impress, spending much of his time out of the starting lineup.

And it appears that is set to continue for the immediate future as, after missing out on the starting lineup for the game, Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst pointed out that Sancho hasn't even been given a squad number on match squad list.

Sharing a photo of the 38-man United squad in the matchday programme, Luckhurst wrote on X: "A generous mention of Jadon Sancho in the programme squad sheet."

Reacting to the dig, one United fan wrote: "Well ig u could say he got his freedom ey?"

While one asked: "Why is he even on the squad list if he clearly isn't going to play?"

And another added: "No squad number, no wonder this brother went and deleted everything Man Utd on his page."

Sancho will not feature for Manchester United in their Premier League clash with Arsenal. (Image: Getty)

What's next for Jadon Sancho?

Since it became clear that it would be United's preference to sell Sancho this summer, several clubs have reportedly been interested in bringing the Englishman to the club.

Former club Dortmund, who took Sancho back on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 season, are believed to be among the clubs interested, alongside Serie A giants Juventus and Turkish side Besiktas.

However, according to Paul Joyce of The Times, it is Roma that are currently leading the race for the former Manchester City star.

The report claims that the Italian side have submitted a bid for Sancho, but the exact details are not yet clear.

That being said, a report from ESPN has claimed that Roma would be willing to negotiate a permanent deal for around £20million.