Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport

Five seasons ago, Luton Town wing-back Alfie Doughty was playing in the Isthmian League for Kingstonian on loan from Charlton. The season after that he had a spell with Bromley in the National League.

He was a teenager then but his talent was noted and soon enough he was playing in the Championship with the Addicks, then Stoke and Cardiff.

Luton had spotted his potential early on at Charlton and, after a failed attempt, they eventually landed him for last season's championship promotion-winning season. Manager at the time Nathan Jones declared he was "nowhere near his ceiling".

And the Welshman has been proved correct. Doughty has taken his first season in the Premier League by storm.

The 24-year-old has five assists which puts him alongside the likes of Leon Bailey, Jeremy Doku and Anthony Gordon. Only Kieran Trippier has delivered more crosses than Doughty and he is one of the division's most regular corner takers too.

He’s played the most minutes of any of Luton's outfield players and had the most touches. His influence in the team grows as the season progresses.

Such is his versality and the trust manager Rob Edwards has in him he has been used on the right side when Issa Kabore has not been available. He has kept Mohamed Salah and Miguel Almiron quiet recently and it has left some Luton fans wondering whether he deserves an England call-up.

There's no doubting Doughty has been the driving force behind the Hatters this season with his marauding runs down the left. Burnley right-back Vitinho will have to be prepared for their Premier League match on Friday night at Turf Moor.

Luton Town

Image source, Getty Images

If the art of good management is getting the best out of the resources at your disposal, then Rob Edwards is doing an outstanding job at Kenilworth Road.

Luton have made 'The Kenny' a tough place to go, with Edwards putting together a side that is full of energy and belief as well as skill. Ross Barkley has been rejuvenated while outstanding professional Andros Townsend has been a shrewd acquisition.

The Hatters go into the rest of the season with hope of Premier League survival and the chance to make fools of those of us who predicted a painful demise.

McNulty's pre-season prediction: 20th.

• BBC Sport has a dedicated Luton page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

Everton

Image source, Getty Images

Everton are labouring under the punishment of a 10-point Premier League points reduction having been found to have breached financial rules, although they are in the process of appealing.

It has acted as a unifying force and a run of four straight Premier League wins wiped out that deficit and took them out of the relegation places.

There has been a slip recently but Sean Dyche is doing a fine job. The fragility of his squad is still evident though, as has been demonstrated by the impact of Abdoulaye Doucoure's injury.

I stated Everton would stay up even if they were deducted 12 points. I stand by that.

McNulty's pre-season prediction: 16th.

• BBC Sport has a dedicated Everton page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

Brentford

Image source, Getty Images

It has been a bit of a struggle for the Bees at times this season, not helped by their talismanic striker Ivan Toney serving an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules. He is about to return and it cannot come soon enough.

Brentford will hope to keep him away from any suitors in the January transfer window, because he can make a huge difference to the rest of their season. I still think the Bees will have enough to stay up, principally thanks to their home form and excellent manager Thomas Frank.

McNulty's pre-season prediction: 10th.

• BBC Sport has a dedicated Brentford page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

Nottingham Forest

Image source, Getty Images

All change at the City Ground in recent weeks, with fans' favourite Steve Cooper unable to build on last season's Premier League survival and being replaced as manager by Nuno Espirito Santo.

Nuno has already had fine wins away to Newcastle United and at home to Manchester United, which represents an excellent start that has lifted Forest's spirits as they enter the New Year.

Morgan Gibbs-White has shown what a talent he is and the playmaker will be crucial in the second half of the season while Anthony Elanga's pace is a real weapon.

McNulty's pre-season prediction: 14th.

• BBC Sport has a dedicated Forest page packed with news, analysis and fan views - get it here

Back to Phil McNulty's mid-season reports now, where from 15th down, a number of teams could easily be drawn into the relegation dogfight.

So let's take a look at those teams ...

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

In his most recent comments on Sancho - in an interview with the fanzine United We Stand, external- Ten Hag was asked if he had any regrets over how he had handled the Sancho situation. His answer was as blunt as it was after the Arsenal game.

"No," he said. "I would not do anything different."

One of the reasons Ten Hag was brought to Old Trafford was to instil a sense of discipline. Some observers feel he has been perfectly justified in taking the stance he has. Others feel Sancho has been treated unfairly, especially considering some of the other issues involving players that have not triggered the same hard-line stance.

United's hierarchy have backed the manager. This has come at a price.

The club say the loan to Dortmund is financially attractive to them. Dortmund sources question how this can be the case given how their side of the deal stacks up.

There is no doubt if United were to try to sell the player in the summer, they would get nothing remotely close to what they paid for him. It is hard to imagine any club matching the player's £300,000-a-week salary either. For now, a return to Dortmund makes sense.

The space will also allow Ineos representatives Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc a chance to get their heads round the situation and determine next steps. Ten Hag's own future will be significant in that.

Holding out to see if Ten Hag stays as United manager may just have been Sancho's long-term plan all along.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Sancho missed United's final four games before the 2022 World Cup with an unspecified illness.

Ten Hag addressed the issue during his club's December training camp in southern Spain, which Sancho missed as he travelled to the Netherlands to work with coaches Ten Hag knew on his personal training programme.

"He was not in the right status or fitness state," said Ten Hag. "I have had several talks with Jadon.

"When the league started, he played some good games, but after we got a drop of levels. Sometimes you don't know why or what is causing it. Most of the time it comes slowly. First you observe but the stats back it up. In the start of the season he had goals and assists but his key moments and key actions became less and less.

"It's a combination of physical but also mental. We're trying to research and get him back."

It was 1 February 2023 before Sancho featured in a competitive game, but with two goals in his first five games, it did seem whatever resolution had been worked on, it had been successful.

Sancho scored in his final Premier League appearance of the campaign and started the FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City.

As with United as a whole, the 2023-24 season promised much. As with United, the disappointment has been immense.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

This was not how it was supposed to be when United, finally, ended their long pursuit of the former Manchester City academy player on 23 July 2021 - paying £73m for Sancho, who had just been part of the England squad beaten in the European Championship final by Italy.

Sancho described the move as "a dream come true". It turned into anything but.

Then United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made his first play for Sancho in the summer of 2020. A £90m fee was spoken about, personal terms were not going to be a problem. However, United got their negotiating strategy wrong.

When Dortmund made it known they were setting a hard deadline of 10 August to agree a deal, which they felt was needed to give them time to find a replacement before a season with a delayed start because of the logistical impact of Covid-19, United ignored it - putting it down to negotiating tactics.

It was a mistake.

Sancho remained at Dortmund for the 2020-21 campaign.

With 16 goals and 20 assists in all competitions, Sancho's final domestic campaign for Dortmund was a success. He scored twice in the German Cup final victory over RB Leipzig, which he started alongside Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.

Read more on what went wrong for Sancho at Man Utd here

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

When it became apparent Jadon Sancho had been omitted from Ten Hag's squad for the Premier League defeat at Arsenal on 3 September, it was something of a surprise.

Off the back of a decent pre-season, Sancho had made three substitute appearances as United made a stuttering start to the new campaign.

There was no word from United beforehand about any issue, so it was not until the post-match news conference that Ten Hag was asked about Sancho's absence.

Ten Hag's response was blunt: "Because of his performance in training, we didn't select him. You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United."

Sancho did not accept the reasoning and in a now-deleted social media post, hit back almost immediately.

"I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue," he posted. "I have conducted myself very well in training this week.

"I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into. I've been a scapegoat for a long time, which isn't fair."

The touchpaper had been lit. Ten Hag demanded a public apology for the clear challenge to his authority, otherwise Sancho would be frozen out.

Despite numerous pleas - from team-mates and United officials - Sancho has remained silent. Though Ten Hag has repeatedly said Sancho has it in his power to bring the dispute to an end, the 23-year-old either thinks he has nothing to apologise for, or that the Dutchman is being disingenuous, or both.

Image source, Getty Images

Jadon Sancho spent four seasons with Borussia Dortmund from 2017 to 2021, scoring 50 goals and registering 64 assists.

The 23-year-old then moved to Old Trafford in a £73m deal in July 2021.

Since then, Sancho has made 82 appearances for Manchester United and scored 12 goals in all competitions.

Image source, Getty Images

The relationship between Jadon Sancho and Erik Ten Hag hit the rocks after the England international was omitted from the squad for September's defeat at Arsenal, with the Dutchman stating it was due to his performance in training.

Sancho rejected those claims and said on social media that he was being made a "scapegoat" and later refused to apologise for his comments, leading to his exile.

He has been training away from the first team since September.

• Sancho says he 'is a scapegoat' after being dropped

With the news Jadon Sancho has returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the rest of the season, we want to know whether you think it's a good move for the 23-year-old.

Send us your thoughts in the usual way on #bbcfootball, WhatsApp 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply)