Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he will be patient reintroducing Jadon Sancho to his team as "footballers are not robots".

Sancho has struggled for form since his £73m move to United from Borussia Dortmund in July 2021.

The England winger has not featured for United since the 1-1 Premier League draw at Chelsea on 22 October.

"There are some processes you can't force and this is one of them," said Ten Hag.

"Football players aren't robots. No-one is the same and you need an individual approach. We thought that, in co-operation with Jadon, this was the best choice."

Sancho recently spent some time in the Netherlands with coaches Ten Hag knows well to try and find the spark that will get his United career back on track.

The United boss says Sancho is now "making progress" and is "ready for the next step" although no timescale has been placed on his return to first-team duties.

But Ten Hag wants to make sure Sancho's recovery is right rather than rushed.

"We have some hurdles to take but I think he's (going) in a good direction," added Ten Hag. "I would be really happy the moment he returns to the squad for team training. That's the next step."