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Is Jadon Sancho just overrated or has he been misused by Manchester United?
- NOTE: This article was originally published in September
At the time of his signing for Manchester United, Jadon Sancho had already proved himself as one of the best wide forwards in European football.
His signing was considered a major coup for the club, and the Englishman was expected to establish himself as a key player for the future.
But after only two full seasons, his future at Old Trafford looks to be over. The club previously confirmed that he has been training away from the first team squad for a period and a January loan move to Borussia Dortmund has now been confirmed.
15+ - Jadon Sancho is the only player since det. data collection in 2004-05 who has scored and assisted at least 15 goals each within a single Bundesliga season, doing so in 2019-20 (17 goals and 16 assists). Back? @Sanchooo10 pic.twitter.com/cA11bSQAqg
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 3, 2024
Hindsight is always 20/20, and it is easy to now look at what has gone wrong. One can look at how the club has been far from an environment that gets the best out of its players.
Sancho’s own performances also need to be scrutinised, but playing under four managers in a short span meant that he was not provided a stable environment to perform to the best of his abilities.
Was Sancho a bad fit for United?
Let’s go back to the summer of 2021 to understand the circumstances around his transfer.
Prior to signing Sancho, Manchester United had struggled to build attacks from their right flank. The combination of inverted wingers such as Juan Mata or Mason Greenwood who would often cut inside, and a defensive full back like Aaron Wan-Bissaka meant that United were unable to stretch opponents.
It was clear that the club needed to sign an elite winger who could hold width and complement Wan-Bissaka. But was Sancho really the right fit for that role?
Sancho broke through at Dortmund in the 2018/19 season as an exceptional dribbler who would hug the touchline and beat opponents by manipulating the ball with incredible speed and skill.
But over the next two seasons, he shifted his game away from being that classic winger.
When you compare his numbers from the 2018/19 campaign to his final season at Dortmund, you can see his dribble and carrying figures drop, while his passing and half-space involvement go up.
His evolution as a player saw him drift away from the flank to link up and control play. The 23-year-old also thrived around the penalty area and preferred cutting inside over driving to the by-line and crossing the ball.
This was not a good fit for the problem that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was trying to fix. United knew that they were not signing a typical “get to the by-line and cross” winger, but were hoping that he could be coached and integrated into their system.
That has not happened.
Was Sancho overrated when he signed?
Sancho moved to the Bundesliga at 17, and hit double figures for both goals and assists in successive seasons by the time he was 20.
It would be a stretch to call someone overrated when they have produced 114 goal contributions in 137 games and shown consistency across multiple seasons, under different managers.
His move to the Premier League has no doubt been uninspiring, and some blame needs to fall at his feet.
But players don't become bad overnight unless there is a major underlying reason. Dele Alli comes to mind, and we now know about the struggles with his mental health. Sancho had his own issues off the field over the last year.
We can also look at what made Sancho excel at Signal Iduna Park and see if he was offered similar conditions at Old Trafford.
One key difference is that the full-backs who play behind him now are less attacking than Ashraf Hakimi and Raphael Guerreiro were at Dortmund. A strong partnership with an attacking full-back is crucial for Sancho. This allows him to ghost into central positions while they overlap to provide the width.
Sancho's game went to the next level after the arrival of Erling Haaland. The Norwegian is not just a lethal finisher but is brilliant at combining with wingers and running in behind.
United’s well documented problems upfront certainly had an impact on his performances, and saw England International underperform his Expected Assists (xA) in the past two seasons.
What next for Sancho?
Sancho’s current Expected Transfer Value (xTV) is €31.6million, way down from the €44.7million figure he was given in September.
Crucially, it is now well under half the €85m United parted with for his services.
If reports are to be believed, he is set to re-join Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the season, with the German club paying a €3.5m loan fee, as he looks to kickstart his career again in familiar surroundings.
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