(Football news) When Jadon Sancho joined Manchester United, he was one of the hottest prospects in world football and was signed for a massive fee of 85 million euros. He was expected to light Old Trafford alight but it’s fair to say that his time at the Red Devils has been quite underwhelming so far.
However, the 22 year old started off the 2022 season strongly, scoring thrice and was one of the best performers in the team before September’s international break. Ten Hag then noticed a dip in Sancho’s form and confidence after he was not picked in England’s UEFA Nations League squad.
“Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. He was not in the right state or fitness state. I have had several talks with Jadon. He’s on a physical programme and our aim is to get him back as quickly as possible, but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be. There’s huge competition with England, even at the World Cup, every game it is difficult to know who to start because there’s so much talent in the offensive line. When you don’t show it week by week you can fall out of the squad, which is what happened.
“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” said Erik ten Hag.
Sancho was an unused substitute against FC Sheriff and West Ham at the end of October and missed the last four games before the World Cup began. He has also been absent from Manchester United’s two match tour of Spain, working on his own fitness program. It remains to be seen if the 22 year old can regain his own form, not just to consistently feature at Manchester United but also get his place back into the England team.
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