Jadon Sancho seems to have finally revived his career at Borussia Dortmund. The Englishman managed to break onto the scene with the Bundesliga club initially and attracted some of the biggest teams in the world. But Manchester United broke the bank for Sancho and paid $90 million in 2021. Even though costlier figures were being paid for players, Sancho’s price tag came as a shock to many considering his lack of experience at the time.
The player performed decently in the beginning, but he could not thrive under Erik ten Hag. The youngster was frozen out of the team after publicly disagreeing with the Dutch manager. For some context, ten Hag excluded Sancho from the playing squad and mentioned that he was not on the same level as his teammates. This certainly did not go down too well with the player, who took to social media to have his say.
ten Hag has tended to publicly call out his players, Sancho being just one of them. This has received mixed reactions from fans, but the manager has no plans to change his coaching methods. Recently, when being asked about Sancho’s resurgence in Germany, ten Hag admitted that he wasn’t surprised about Sancho’s abilities.
🗣️ “We know he’s a fantastic football player”
Erik ten Hag discusses whether Jadon Sancho’s form at Borussia Dortmund has changed anything regarding his future at Manchester United 🔴 pic.twitter.com/V1rCedIQS8
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 19, 2024
He said, “It was a great performance from Dortmund and also for Jadon, that is good news because he made his contribution to this result for Dortmund. But we know Jadon Sancho is a fantastic football player. So that is not a surprise for us. That is not the issue.” The fact that he claims that his performances and abilities were not the issue reiterates that ten Hag was only unhappy with the player’s attitude behind the scenes.
Jadon Sancho has succeeded at Borussia Dortmund once again
The English player has only managed to score 2 goals and make 2 assists so far for the German club. But soccer fans will know that the beautiful game is more than just statistics. He has shown up to Germany with a touch of flair once again and that’s what makes players like Sancho exciting.
In addition to that, he has helped BVB qualify for the UCL semifinals as well, after receiving the MOTM award in the earlier stage. Be it on or off the ball, wingers/midfielders like Sancho stand out on the field, rather than the scoresheet.
Jadon Sancho’s first two games on his Dortmund return:
▪️ Assist
▪️ Draws a penaltyBack 💛 pic.twitter.com/biwf6X5Hyp
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 20, 2024
He managed to bag an assist just minutes into his second Dortmund debut, and that speaks at length about Sancho’s talents. His chemistry with Marco Reus is exceptional, and he could fit right into Edin Terzic’s system. The German coach has opted for a possession-based style on many occasions, and a player like Sancho, who has impeccable dribbling and passing skills, could be very useful.
Can Sancho succeed at Manchester United?
There have been reports mentioning that Sancho is still open to playing for Manchester United but with a twist. It is said that he will only be open to returning to Old Trafford if ten Hag leaves, and the arrival of new technical director Jason Wilcox is an attractive possibility as well. The club has been unlucky with the right-wing/midfield position, as Antony hasn’t had a great time at Old Trafford as well.
The Red Devils will be aiming to solve the issue as soon as possible, as they have struggled to build from the right flank in the last few years. Alejandro Garnacho has excelled at times playing from the right, with Marcus Rashford coming in on the opposite flank. But United will have to consider if they want a player like Sancho to lead their flank once again, now that their midfield is much stronger than the time when he was with the team after the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo.