As rumours swirl around Jadon Sancho's future, Erik ten Hag will have to make a decision on the 23-year-old in the coming weeks.
Sancho, who United signed from Borussia Dortmund for £73 million in 2021, has failed to have the desired impact in the Premier League after two seasons. He has also lost his place in the England squad, although Gareth Southgate is blessed with a plethora of talented options in Sancho’s preferred position.
It is easy to forget, given that things haven’t quite worked out for him so far, the enormous hype around Sancho signing for United.
At Dortmund, Sancho became renowned for his dazzling skills and highlight reel-worthy dribbles and touches. It only seemed a matter of time before he would make his way to the Premier League and excel.
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Sancho was prolific in the Bundesliga. The winger averaged an impressive 194 minutes per goal in the German top flight, though he has only managed a goal every 400 minutes in the league for United in his two seasons back in England.
Sancho was primarily known as a creative force during his time in Germany. He got the most assists (14) in the 2018/19 league season before consistently racking up impressive assist tallies in his following seasons (17 in 2019/20 and 12 in 2020/21). Along with struggling to find the back of the net, Sancho has struggled to create chances for his United teammates, notching just six assists across all competitions in his two years at Old Trafford.
But in the current discussion of his future at Old Trafford, many fans have reached the conclusion that the winger would be fortunate to be given another season under Ten Hag.
Sancho has shown glimmers of the extraordinary talent he clearly has. His goal against Liverpool in August 2022 was a classic example of his trademark skill and composure. He also netted a crucial equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Leeds.
But the United faithful have only seen glimmers of his potential, and it's not like Sancho hasn't been given chances by Ten Hag. He started in the recent FA Cup final and encapsulated United’s toothlessness at Wembley before he was taken off after 78 minutes. He made 26 appearances in the Premier League but only played the full 90 minutes four times.
The competition within the United squad and the stature of the club look to perhaps be too much for Sancho. It is no secret that whilst he has proven effective through the middle, Marcus Rashford prefers to play on the left. The emergence of the electric Alejandro Garnacho has provided further competition for Sancho to contend with.
All of this means Ten Hag’s decision-making will be tested. Ten Hag hopes for the club to be more ruthless in the market this summer and Sancho could be a test of just how ruthless the United boss is prepared to be.
If Ten Hag decides to keep Sancho, he must back him as a regular starter. He clearly has undoubted potential but cameo roles from the bench and occasional cup appearances are not going to help him showcase his class
Ten Hag has some huge decisions to make on players who cost United a lot of money in the past. Sancho may be one of them.
