Jadon Sancho was benched once again by Ralf Rangnick as Manchester United ’s £73miliion signing faces a battle to prove he can replicate his form at Borussia Dortmund.
But a glance at their other 'Big Six' rivals shows that his situation is not an isolated one.
Sancho had been Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ’s top transfer target for the best part of 18 months before the United hierarchy finally negotiated a deal in July 2021 to sign the talented forward.
The 21-year-old has scored just two goals and failed to provide an assist in 23 United appearances so far — 14 of which have been starts — after struggling to adapt to life back in England after four years away.
Both of Sancho’s goals arrived under caretaker boss Michael Carrick, who managed for three games before leaving the club to pave the way for Rangnick.
But the English winger is yet to prove to the German tactician that he is worthy of a starting spot, failing to score since his appointment in early December.
Teenager Anthony Elanga was selected ahead of Sancho for the 3-1 win over Brentford and the 19-year-old’s goal to cap a fine overall display is unlikely to see him dropped anytime soon.
When asked about his troubles, Rangnick admitted the Red Devils star is struggling with the mental aspect of dealing with higher expectations.
“I think it’s a different league, it’s a different competition," Rangnick told reporters.
"It’s more physical, it’s more pressure, although he also played for one of the biggest clubs in Germany, in Dortmund. But I think in total, the whole league, the whole competition is more physical and the level of expectation is higher.
“When he came to Borussia Dortmund as a young player, he was only 18. Now he’s 21, playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"I think it’s also got to do with a lot of different things up here in his head. But in training, whenever I see him train, he’s showing that he’s one of the best players in the training sessions."
HAVE YOUR SAY: Will Sancho, Havertz and Pepe eventually find their feet at their respective clubs? Comment below.
Sancho’s troubles on the pitch are not unique for a player rated in the £70m bracket. Chelsea have experienced similar issues with Kai Havertz, their previous record signing from Bayer Leverkusen who cost a hefty £72m fee back in September 2020.
The German youngster arrived at Stamford Bridge with high hopes after being courted by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but only managed four goals in 22 appearances in his first season in England.
Havertz has been hampered by injury and revealed that he struggled to brush off the after-effects from contracting Covid in December 2020.
But the attacker has made a full recovery and yet has not found a place in Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system after he signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97.5m in the summer.
The pinnacle of his time in west London came in May 2021 when he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final to clinch the European crown for only the second time in the club’s history.
But those moments have been far and few between for Germany international Havertz. Like Sancho, he is still adapting to life in England and at 22 has his whole career ahead of him.
Nicolas Pepe scored 22 goals in a standout Ligue 1 campaign for Lille before securing his £72m move to Arsenal in 2019, as they beat several clubs such as Napoli and Bayern Munich to his signing.
However, since moving to the Emirates Stadium, the Ivorian has scored only 15 league goals in two-and-a-half seasons — and the winger is rarely relied upon by Mikel Arteta for his best starting XI.
The 26-year-old looks certain to secure a move away from north London in the summer and the Gunners may well accept a huge loss on their original investment, with Pepe valued at just £27m by Transfermarkt.
The correlation between these similarly high transfer fees points to an increased amount of pressure placed on their young shoulders, and may serve as a warning to managers to think twice before splashing the cash in future.
