Unai Emery admitted that he may be interested in keeping Jadon Sancho at Aston Villa after the end of his loan. The 25-year-old winger's contract with Manchester United expires in the summer, meaning he could negotiate as a free agent. So far, Sancho has made 23 appearances for the Villans in all competitions, with only one goal and one assist. Both contributions came in the last three weeks, a sign of the Englishman's improving form. When asked if he is considering the future of the former Dortmund player, the Spanish coach replied: "Not yet, but he is a fantastic player. We hope he can help us, as he has been doing. He will need another contract, and maybe it will be here. If he plays his best football, we will want to keep him. But other teams may also show interest in him," he said at a press conference. "In the first part of the season, it was not enough. He worked and tried, but he did not reach the level we needed. Now he is improving. He is accepting the challenge for himself and for us. I have spoken to him several times about this challenge. He needs to be demanding and consistent, as he is now," Emery explained. In the summer of 2021, Sancho cost Manchester United €85 million from Dortmund, but he did not convince at Old Trafford. He was loaned to Chelsea last season, but the Londoners even paid to not keep the player in the team. In 2025/26, already at the end of his contract, Aston Villa agreed to take the player on another loan. When asked about the title race, that is not a topic for Unai Emery. "We are not thinking about the end of the season. We are thinking about what is now. We cannot talk about how we were in September. We are enjoying the process, competing. We feel comfortable with how we are managing our season. Now we have recorded two consecutive home defeats, and we can understand how such things happen. Tomorrow we have a new challenge at home against Brighton. We will try to put all our energy and focus into competing against a very good team," the Spanish coach concluded.
Cost United Unai Emery remains central to this story.
Cost United Unai Emery remains central to this story.
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