Credit: Imago, Getty Images

Evan Lloyd

Fri 29 May 2026 18:00, UK

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Unai Emery opted against starting Jadon Sancho in any of Aston Villa’s final four games of the season ahead of a summer decision over his future.

The winger has spent the season on loan at Villa Park and will become a free agent at the end of June, with the Villans weighing up the possibility of signing him.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed positive moments this season, but ultimately ended the campaign having scored just one goal in 39 appearances across all competitions.

Sancho has ended the season with a Europa League winner’s medal to show for his efforts, but his future now remains unclear.

Villa transfer chiefs are expected to make their decision in the coming days, with the forward expected to be forced to look elsewhere.

Jadon Sancho set to leave Aston Villa

Football Insider exclusively revealed in March that Villa could not be ruled out of signing Sancho permanently, with Emery a fan of the winger.

The Manchester United winger arrived on transfer deadline day with Harvey Elliott last summer, and the difference in treatment the two players received spoke volumes.

After Sancho had initially struggled for minutes, while the midfielder featured in each of his opening four games at the club, Emery had a complete turn of favour.

Suddenly, Elliott could not even make it into a Villa squad, while his fellow deadline day arrival began to feature regularly.

Sancho has never massively impressed, but Emery has continuously shown faith in him and likely remains his only chance of securing a permanent move.

Even the Spaniard appeared to lose faith by the end of the season, however. The 26-year-old’s start in a 2-1 loss at home to Tottenham was his last of the season, and he would feature for just 14 minutes of the remaining five games – Villa’s biggest of the season.

Keeping that trophy safe, @Sanchooo10 🥰 pic.twitter.com/M1DG1E2Ri9

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 21, 2026

Sancho came on for the remaining nine minutes of the Europa League final, after the result had already been determined.

Unai Emery’s latest comments on Sancho’s future

Villa are yet to confirm or deny their intentions with Sancho, with the winger’s contract at Man United still having a month to run.

It appears likely that they will opt against signing the 26-year-old, however, with qualification to the Champions League opening the door to more eye-catching signings.

“Not yet,” answered Emery when asked if a decision had been made on Sancho. “Now we are finishing the season. We will reflect and analyse each situation. We will decide it, but not yet.

Sancho down the wing 🪄 pic.twitter.com/pIYUcYt1ZS

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 27, 2025

“I am so, so proud of every player and how they have responded. Now is the moment after Sunday to take decisions how we will continue building and getting our development strongly.

“We are ambitious and everything we did is important to how we can analyse how to get better next year. I only want to improve and get better next year. The decisions we take will be in this direction.”