Winger Jadon Sancho has admitted that he is "learning" from the experience of his Manchester United team-mates in his attempts to take his personal game to the next level.
The England international, who joined United from German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund last summer, has gone from strength-to-strength in recent weeks, producing some encouraging performances. After a slow start to life in England, the 21-year-old has started to turn the screw of late, grabbing goals against Middlesbrough and Brighton & Hove Albion last month, as well as claiming two assists in the 4-2 win over Leeds United at Elland Road.
Expected to hit the ground running following his £72.9million arrival from Dortmund last July, the winger, for a time, found regular opportunities hard to come by. However, although he was, surprisingly, left out of the starting line-up against Watford on Saturday, he has started four of the Reds' last five Premier League matches.
He has looked razor-sharp and has shown signs that he is beginning to adapt to the demands of the Premier League. With that in mind, Sancho has admitted that he is benefiting from being a part of a vastly experienced squad, including the likes of Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I'm here with a lot of great players and I'm learning from the best," Sancho told United's club website. "You've got Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane… all these guys have won major trophies and just being in the changing room with them gives you a blessed feeling.
"I'm definitely learning from them, on and off the pitch, especially in terms of their recovery and how they make themselves better. I'm taking in all the information I can and trying to put it into my game."
As outlined above, Sancho was left out of the starting line-up on Saturday, with interim boss Ralf Rangnick looking to inject some freshness into his squad after a hectic period. He did come on in the second half, replacing Fred, as United pushed for a winner.
Although every player wants to start every game, Sancho admitted that a rest can be useful from time to time, adding: "For sure, I feel like that's very important, especially when you've got games back to back. You need your legs and especially when you're a winger – I need to get up and down the pitch.
"I definitely need my legs to recover as quickly as possible to go again. It's definitely important and I’m just trying to be a better version of myself."
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