Jadon Sancho, released by Manchester United and currently a free agent, has been training at Flixton FC — a club in the tenth tier of English football, the lowest reaches of the national pyramid — and the story has already had to be straightened out.

Flixton released an official statement clarifying that Sancho was not on trial with the club and not involved in any transfer discussions, according to ESPN and Goal. In other words: he is keeping fit there, not auditioning for a contract.

The detail that jumps out is geography. Flixton's ground sits a stone's throw from Manchester United's training complex, The Sun reported. So Sancho, cast off by one of the biggest clubs in the world, has been working just down the road from the place that let him go.

Flixton praised the 26-year-old as "nothing but professional, humble, and generous with his time" following his visit, BBC Sport reported. After completing his training session, Sancho met young supporters, posed for photos, and signed autographs. He also appeared in a video alongside Flixton manager Alex Mortimer to thank the club.

Sancho's connection to the local football landscape runs deep. He was a youth player at Manchester City before signing for Borussia Dortmund in 2017, where he developed into one of Europe's most exciting wide players — a winger, meaning he operates on the flank, attacking defenders one-on-one and creating chances. A big-money move to United followed, but the relationship soured, and the club released him this summer.

For Flixton, a club many levels below the professional game, having a player of Sancho's pedigree train on their pitch is a moment the supporters will not forget in a hurry. The English football pyramid — the connected league system that runs from the Premier League at the top through ten tiers down to clubs like Flixton — means the gap between Sancho's usual stage and this one is vast. That a player once valued at more than £70 million spent an afternoon signing autographs at a tenth-tier ground is the kind of detail that makes football feel human.

None of it tells us where Sancho plays next. He is training as a free agent while he waits to sign for his next club, TNT Sports reported. The transfer window, the twice-yearly period when clubs can buy and sell players, remains open through the summer, and a player of his quality will not stay without a club for long.

What Flixton got out of it was a day their young fans will talk about for years. What Sancho got was a place to keep his legs moving and a club full of people happy to have him. Sometimes that is the whole story.