Haaland's one-word message to Sancho after his ex team-mate returns to Dortmund

Erling Haaland has signalled his approval to Jadon Sancho's return to Borussia Dortmund on loan in a one-word message to his former team-mate.

Haaland and Sancho had enjoyed a prolific 18 months together at Dortmund, before the latter left the club for Manchester United in a £73million move in 2021.

The following summer saw Haaland join city rivals Man City for £51m.

Sancho completed a move back to the Bundesliga giants on Thursday, with the 23-year-old rejoining the club on a deal until the end of the season.

Haaland reacted to a photo shared by Dortmund of Sancho in the No 10 shirt, with the Norwegian labelling the image as 'beautiful', accompanied with an emoji of love hearts for eyes.

Earlier this month, Haaland had reminded fans about the qualities of his former team-mate.

Sharing a picture of the pair celebrating winning the 2020-21 German Cup while at Dortmund, Haaland lavished praised on Sancho by calling him a 'proper football that'.

Sancho's move ends four-and-a-half months of misery, who made the last of his three appearances for Man United this season in late August following a public fall-out with manager Erik ten Hag.

The winger’s refusal to apologise has led to him training and eating alone at Carrington, separated from the rest of the first-team group.

The player, who rejoined social media by posting a photo of himself in Dortmund kit, is delighted to be back at the club.

Sancho said: ‘When I came into the dressing-room today, it felt like coming home. I know the club inside and out, I've always been very close with the fans here, and I've never lost contact with those in charge.

‘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.'

Dortmund will pay the majority of Sancho’s £290,000-a-week wages, although United have agreed to contribute £100,000 to get the winger off the books.

There is no option for the Bundesliga club to re-sign Sancho permanently in the summer.

Dortmund took to social media to announce the news themselves, posting a mock fax message with the words 'I'm back' in tribute to Michael Jordan's confirmation of his return to the Chicago Bulls in 1995.

United also posted news on the club website confirming the England international’s departure.

It read: ‘Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho has rejoined former club Borussia Dortmund on loan until the end of the season.

‘The 23-year-old spent four seasons with the Bundesliga team from 2017, registering 50 goals and 64 assists, before completing a transfer to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021.

‘Sancho has made 82 Reds appearances so far, scoring 12 goals across all competitions and winning the Carabao Cup in 2023.

‘Sancho will now return to Germany on a temporary basis as Borussia Dortmund prepare to resume their Bundesliga campaign after a winter break. The England international of 23 caps leaves with our best wishes for the remainder of this season.’