Manchester United take on Reading in the FA Cup on Saturday in a fixture that could further embolden a thriving squad under the tutelage of Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.

While Reading play their football a division below Premier League giants United, the Red Devils will need to ensure any shred of complacency remains a distance away from Old Trafford, with the club facing a glorious chance of creeping closer to clinching silverware for the first time since 2017.

Indeed, after a dreadful campaign last year, United have reintroduced the spark and guile that used to be embedded within the DNA of one of the game's most prestigious outfits of all time.

And with success still attainable across every possible front, reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup would be a perfect continuation of the good work, with the club having won ten of their past 12 matches across all competitions.

While rotation will likely be utilised amid the incessant swarm of fixtures that will not abate as the season stretches on, Ten Hag will look to field a starting line-up capable of flourishing, but there is indeed one player scarcely seen within the Theatre of Dreams this season that might take to the stage once again.

While £85m summer signing Antony has divided opinion since his arrival, and must improve swiftly, Jason Sancho is the player that could most richly benefit from being given a platform to perform at the centre of United's forthcoming outing.

Sancho, who has not played a minute of competitive action since United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea in October, returned to first-team training this week, and an encounter against the likes of the Royals could be the perfect starter for a successful recipe across the coming months.

Arriving in Manchester for a lucrative £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, the 22-year-old has not quite sparked into life as many expected, having only scored eight goals from 52 appearances since his debut, but he featured regularly under Ten Hag's wing since the start of the season before falling absent due to "physical and mental issues", as per his manager.

But with his 20/21 campaign - his swan-song with the Yellow Wall - the "robust" gem, as he was once heralded by Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc, plundered 16 goals and 20 assists across 38 appearances, flourishing as one of football's most prodigious young talents with devastating regularity.

As per WhoScored, the phenom has maintained a career passing accuracy of 85.1%, while averaging 1.2 shots and 1.7 key passes per outing, and should he channel the very best of his output once more, he could yet send the Old Trafford faithful into rapture.

If Man United stick to the script that has ushered in the vibrant purple patch since the conclusion of the World Cup, Ten Hag will take the club a step closer to FA Cup glory and maintain the current fight across all fronts, and with Sancho's inclusion, prospects will only be more fruitful, both for the football club and the player himself.