What does the future hold?

Most fans are happy Sancho returned.

“We have had several players come back over the years but usually, it didn’t go very well,” says Nina Tillmann, of the popular Schwatzgelb.com Dortmund fans’ site.

“But I thought this one was a good idea. I feel Jadon is at home with us and could help the club.

“It would be a shame if he didn’t get back to his old self. It would be beautiful if he had the chance to shine again here.”

Whether it happens is a matter of debate.

In an ideal world, Dortmund would keep the player. That is what senior officials at the club want. But the deal that brought Sancho back, financially, made sense.

For the loan to be repeated next season, or turned into a permanent transfer, it would require significant compromise on all sides. Dortmund simply cannot match the salary Sancho gets at United. But United, under severe pressure to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, cannot just hand over an asset of that size.

It is clear there is no future for Sancho at Old Trafford if Ten Hag remains as manager. But he may not, which opens up the possibility of a return to United even if the feeling persists he will be playing elsewhere next season.

In the meantime, Dortmund have a Champions League semi-final in front of them.

They may be outsiders but having won a group containing PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle before eliminating Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals, Dortmund should not be written off.

Ironically, lifting the trophy, which the club won in 1997 with a team that included former Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert, would provide prize money that could be used to bring Sancho back.

It is a fascinating subplot to a strange story.

When Sancho left Dortmund, winning the Champions League was one of his aims. Little did he know, his first decent shot at the prize would be right back where his senior professional career began.