Manchester United drew up a shortlist of Jadon Sancho 'alternatives' while trying to sign him from Borussia Dortmund - what they're up to four years later makes for remarkable reading.
On Thursday, United confirmed Sancho's return to Dortmund on a short-term loan until the end of this season after falling out with manager Erik ten Hag.
Sancho was left out of the matchday squad for September's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal after ten Hag questioned his efforts in training.
The 23-year-old posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, later that day, claiming the Dutchman had made him a 'scapegoat'.
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He'll now spend the remainder of the 2023/2024 back at Signal Iduna Park, where he first burst onto the scene as a teenager after arriving from Manchester City in 2017.
Sancho established himself as one of the world's top talents, hence United forking out £72 million for his services in 2021.
It's strange to say, given his standing among Red Devils supporters nowadays, but Sancho was a player everyone was desperate to see at Old Trafford.
A deal to bring him to England proved complicated. United first registered their interest in Sancho in 2020, with Dortmund reluctant to sell.
Per FourFourTwo, the club selected four other wingers to strengthen then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's attack in the case of Sancho choosing to go elsewhere. United opted to wait another year to sign the England international, but who else were they weighing up to join Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in attack and where are they playing now?
Ismaila Sarr
Sarr had recently been relegated from the Premier League with Watford. He dazzled in a 3-0 win over that season's champions, Liverpool, and looked destined to continue his career in the top flight.
The Senegal superstar surprisingly ended up staying in the Championship for four more years before moving to French outfit Marseille last summer. He's scored three goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances.
Douglas Costa
Costa was coming to the end of his career and was deemed surplus to requirements at Juventus. He ended up moving to Bayern Munich on loan (as cover for a man further down this list).
The veteran spent time at Gremio and LA Galaxy, signing for the latter permanently. He is currently without a club after leaving Galaxy in October.
Ivan Perisic
Perisic was coming off the back of winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich, on loan from Inter Milan. The Croatia icon regained his place in the Inter team, helping them win Serie A. Moved to the Premier League for the first time in his career with Tottenham Hotspur in 2022. Has been out with an ACL injury since September and likely won't play for the club again.
Kingsley Coman
The most valuable player on this list. Coman scored the winner in Bayern's Champions League triumph over Paris Saint-Germain and remains a key player for the Bundesliga giants. Has been linked with moves away from the Allianz Arena for years but proves his worth under every manager.
Sancho could make his second Dortmund debut when they return to action against Darmstadt on Saturday evening.
Topics: Manchester United, Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund, Premier League, Bundesliga, Ivan Perisic, Kingsley Coman, Douglas Costa, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Juventus
Daniel Marland