Sancho set to return to Man Utd's matchday squad for the 1st time since OCTOBER

Jadon Sancho is set to make his return to the Manchester United matchday squad for the first time since October.

The Red Devils will take on Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash on Tuesday night at Old Trafford, with the hosts already 3-0 in the tie.

Sancho had taken a break from first-team action and was put on an individual programme amid concerns over his mental wellbeing, but returned to team training at Carrington earlier in January.

Sancho is joined by team-mate Anthony Martial in returning to the matchday side, with the Frenchman having limped off at half-time in the Manchester derby earlier this month.

However, Erik ten Hag was handed a further blow, with Christian Eriksen joining Scott McTominay on the injured list following a hefty challenge from Andy Carroll in the FA Cup.

'I think tomorrow that Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho will return in the game squad, but Scott McTominay will still be absent,' said Ten Hag in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

'I think also the next game [against Crystal Palace] he will be absent. We have to see how that process will go. And for the rest, I think everyone is fit.'

The 22-year-old last featured for United against Chelsea, in a 1-1 draw in October, and was deemed mentally and physically unfit to join the club for their mid-season break in Spain.

Sancho was instead sent to Holland for individual training with coaches that came personally recommended by Ten Hag in order to get back up to speed, and closed his social media channels.

He was also overlooked by Gareth Southgate in his final 26-man squad to travel to Qatar for last year's World Cup, and has not been capped since a September 2021 World Cup qualifier win over Andorra, despite being an integral part of the Three Lions Euro 2020 campaign.

Speaking earlier in January, Ten Hag said: 'He is training with the team and we will see. He's improving, he's making steps and we will make the decision after training.

'I said he's on the way back, he's making steps, he's back in team training and we have to see when he's ready to go back into game.’

And with the Carabao Cup tie all-but already decided - after goals from Marcus Rashford, Wout Weghorst and Bruno Fernandes - Wednesday's clash could be the perfect opportunity for his first game back.

The 22-year-old has already played ten Premier League matches for the Red Devils, as well as making four appearances in the Europa League and he will look to add to his tally of three goals and two assists on his return to the side at Old Trafford on Wednesday.