There have been more recent photos of Jadon Sancho at social events than of him playing football.
Sancho has not played since August 26 and he's been on an individual training plan since falling out with Erik ten Hag, who responded to his extraordinary outburst on social media by banishing him from the squad. It's been a great shame to see a chapter of his career - the world was once at his feet - wasted over something that should have been quickly quashed, but it would be foolish to underestimate egos in football.
Although Sancho is remarkably the last United forward to have scored a home Premier League goal, he hasn't been missed and he's expected to leave in the January transfer window.
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"It is about a culture and every player has to match certain standards," said Ten Hag two weeks ago. "What will happen there, he knows what he has to do if he wants to return and it is up to him. We will see what will happen."
Sancho has, rather crucially, still not apologised and that's why the stalemate with his manager has rumbled on into the winter. The player strongly believes he's not done anything wrong and he's refused to back down.
Whoever Sancho is taking advice from clearly isn't qualified to provide him with counsel. His stubbornness has cost him months of his career and it wouldn't have taken much to apologise without meaning it.
Sancho is known to be a pleasant and likeable person, from regularly engaging with fans to opening a pitch for kids where he grew up. However, there seems to be a lack of discipline in his life and Nemanja Matic recently said he was regularly late to training. There have also been timekeeping issues when he's represented England and Borussia Dortmund.
Sancho needs to address that to progress in his career, but an apology is all he needs to make right now. Yet it's clear that's not going to happen and that his ego is standing in the way of a resolution. Interestingly, Raphael Varane this week discussed the challenge of becoming an elite player in a lengthy post on LinkedIn - where he doesn't post often - and he spoke of the importance of controlling ego.
He wrote: "As someone who has played international and Champions League football, I feel extremely lucky to have done so. I also know what is required to get here. A critical element of reaching the top level is making the right decisions for yourself.
"Many of these decisions stem from ego, something that for me is one of the most important things to keep control of, and can give you a better mentality when used correctly. In football and in life, I have found that, as long as you have a strong mindset and continue to act on it, you can reach new heights.
"The accolades and recognition you get are a consequence of the decisions you make. If you focus on the process and enjoy the small improvements rather than only focusing on the result, you can always achieve great things."
It would be wrong to suggest a post from Varane was a subliminal message to Sancho but sometimes the shoe fits and it's the type of advice he should be listening to instead of refusing to apologise. Furthermore, Varane is well-placed to give such advice after falling out of favour with Ten Hag himself and seeing Jonny Evans start over him.
Varane has started the last two games against Bayern Munich and Liverpool and it would be bizarre to see him moved back to the bench in the coming weeks considering his performance at Anfield.
The Frenchman has shown Sancho how to react.
