When Gareth Southgate called up Jadon Sancho to the England national team for the first time in 2018, he praised this young player as proof of courage and bravery.
Leaving Manchester City at the age of 17 to join Borussia Dortmund, Sancho quickly affirmed his talent in the Bundesliga with 114 contributions to goals after 137 matches. The brilliant performances made former center-back Rio Ferdinand once believe that he would become the best English player of his generation.
That reputation helped Sancho join Manchester United in the summer of 2021 for a fee of 73 million pounds. However, instead of opening a glorious new chapter, Old Trafford became the place marking the decline of this winger.
Right from his first season, Sancho had many difficulties in integrating. He was often placed off his preferred position, and was also affected by changes on the coaching bench when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was replaced by Ralf Rangnick.
Stepping into the 2022-2023 season under Erik ten Hag, Sancho started quite positively but quickly lost form. The Dutch coach then put him on a personal training program due to physical and mental problems. Although returning to the squad, Sancho only closed the season with 7 goals and 3 assists.
The biggest turning point came in the next season. After being removed from the competition list by Ten Hag for not meeting training requirements, Sancho publicly refuted the coach on social media and affirmed that he was turned into a "sacrifice". Refusing to apologize caused him to be removed from the first team and had to practice separately for many months. From that time on, the door at Old Trafford was almost completely closed.
Sancho returned to Dortmund on loan in early 2024 and somewhat regained his old image when contributing to bringing the team to the Champions League final. However, that revival only lasted for a short time.
After returning to Man United, he continued to be loaned to Chelsea, but only left a few memorable moments, including a goal in the Conference League final. Chelsea then agreed to pay a fee to cancel the buyout clause instead of keeping him.
Last season, Sancho continued to wear the Aston Villa shirt on loan but could not make a mark either. Most of the time he only came on as a substitute and no longer maintained the influence he had when he was at Dortmund. Three consecutive seasons playing on loan show that Man United has failed with a contract that was once expected to change the team's attack.
Michael Carrick, who used to work with Sancho at Old Trafford, once commented that this player possesses all the innate qualities to become a top star, from dribbling ability, handling in a narrow range to creativity. However, he also emphasized that talent alone is not enough and players must know how to overcome pressure to maintain their position in a harsh competitive environment.
That is also something Sancho has never done at Old Trafford. The pressure is too great, making him no longer dare to create breakthroughs and gradually lose the qualities he once showed at Dortmund.
Now, after becoming a free agent, Sancho is facing the biggest turning point in his career. He has received attention from several clubs in Europe and the Middle East, while Dortmund is still considering the possibility of reuniting for the third time. However, doubts about form and fitness make big teams all cautious.
At the age of 26, Sancho still has time to start over. But from the position of one of the brightest talents in English football, he is no longer an attractive target for European "giants".
