Jadon Sancho is the collateral damage of Manchester United's problems (2024)

Jadon Sancho signing for Manchester United and being dropped from the England squad by the third international break is nobody’s idea of a successful integration to life in the Premier League.Featuring for 566 minutes across 13 appearances, completing a full game once, and being yet to register a goal or assist are a set of numbers falling some way short of the start envisaged for a marquee signing three years in the making.

Mason Greenwood’s form is a factor but the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo undeniably changed the dynamic, leaving questions for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United over planning. Why spend £73 million on one of Europe’s most sought-after young players and select him for only 39 per cent of matches so far?

Lately, Sancho seems to be collateral damage of the crisis engulfing Solskjaer, with the United manager turning to the safety-first of a 3-4-1-2 system that has no room for wingers —although there may yet be a way to incorporate the 21-year-old.

Indeed, as bleak as United feels right now, the stories that emerge from behind the scenes suggest there is cause to give Sancho’s situation patience at least.

Take, for instance, the sight of Sancho sitting wide-eyed in the dressing room after the Newcastle United game on September 11. Asked by a team-mate the reason for his apparent shock, Sancho is said to have replied that the pace of the game was something to behold. “Get used to it,” was the message back.

At Carrington, Sancho has been responding accordingly. Multiple sources say he has been very attentive to his early issues and is working hard to get up to speed. He is aware adjustments are required and is applying himself to the cause in each session.

At Borussia Dortmund, Sancho played in a team with a high-octane style but the general levels of the Bundesliga are slower, and though he has grounding of English football from his time at Watford and Manchester City, the top flight is another step. Games at international level are generally of a more modest tempo too, so his 23 England caps only count for so much in this regard.

It should also be noted that his start to the campaign was affected by an illness that was worse than has been publicly acknowledged. When Sancho arrived for pre-season he had a bad ear infection affecting his ability to go full pelt. He was required to train with cotton balls lodged into his ear canals. Then he sustained a calf injury.

Sancho’s uncertain displays at Southampton, Wolves and Leicester can be seen in this context. Overall for United in the Premier League he has created eight chances and had three shots, ranking him joint 92nd and joint-224th out of all players this campaign. Adjusted for per 90 minutes, Sancho rises to 34th for chances created, with 1.83. For Dortmund Sancho scored 50 times and registered 64 assists in 134 games.

Some have wondered whether Solskjaer’s football, which gives licence to individual flair, really suits Sancho, who is accustomed to systems, but in any case it has been a surprise to see him operate so infrequently on the right wing, the position he predominantly played in Germany.

Sancho has had spells on the right against Southampton, Atalanta and Manchester City, but his starts have come on the left. That was even the case at Molineux, on Sancho’s full Premier League debut, despite Daniel James, who was a left winger at Swansea City, being on the right.

Ronaldo has reshaped the forward line Solskjaer laid out when Sancho joined on July 24. Solskjaer firmly backed the Ronaldo signing — and bringing in a player of his pedigree had obvious appeal — at the same time, Sancho has seen his opportunities dwindle, with Greenwood ushered away from centre-forward to the right wing.

Sancho’s only full 90 minutes came against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup defeat and he was sacrificed after 37 minutes against Young Boys, a Champions League game seen as aligned to his talents, when Aaron Wan-Bissaka received his red card.

The sense that United’s recruitment drive became ad hoc is expounded by the story of the No 7 shirt. Sancho was offered the shirt during negotiations in summer 2020 and United gave the same message this time round. Except Edinson Cavani had possession by that point and was said to be a little put out at the request to hand it over to a player 13 years his junior having himself been persuaded to stay on at Old Trafford through a major charm offensive. Equally, Sancho was described as slightly confused by the chain of events, having been courted for so long. He settled on 25 and then, of course, Cavani gave up the No 7 to Ronaldo.

Sancho and Ronaldo do seem to have a good understanding on the pitch at least. Against Everton, Sancho showed glimpses of his true potential. He quickly overcame the small mishap of forgetting his shirt after the half-time break, asking Dean Henderson to retrieve it from the dressing room after being told he was going on soon into the second period, and he listened to Solskjaer’s instructions from the touchline by running at his opponents.

Sancho beat Ben Godfrey by cutting inside then slipped the ball to Ronaldo, who shot wide. Roles were reversed when Sancho fired a tame finish at Jordan Pickford. The other time he has gone close to scoring came against Newcastle when his shot deflected behind off Jamal Lascelles. A better pass from Bruno Fernandes would have left him an easier chance.

Sancho was really bright against Villarreal and made a difference when given three minutes of normal time away to Atalanta. His first act was to head clear a free kick from the edge of United’s box and then chase upfield to hassle goalkeeper Juan Musso. He played a part in United’s dramatic equaliser by dribbling forward and passing to Ronaldo on the wing. He created a chance for Donny van de Beek to win the game, first touching Greenwood’s pass to Cavani then sprinting wide for a ball from Luke Shaw. His pass in between two Atalanta players found Van de Beek, who tested Musso with a shot on target.

That same energy was in evidence against City. Sancho was sent on at half-time, beginning on the left, and soon he was beating Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus with a darting run, passing to Ronaldo, and racing in behind John Stones for the return. Ronaldo, however, was fouled.

Coaches were impressed by Sancho repeatedly looking to get beyond the last defender and not letting his disappointment show when team-mates failed to find him. This went right to the last second when Sancho moved into a gap in the box but Fernandes instead opted to cross for Ronaldo.

Sancho pressed at the right moments, intelligently, and tracked back with intensity. He sprinted alongside Kyle Walker when City’s right-back advanced on the overlap looking for a pass from De Bruyne five minutes from time, and he again moved to cover United’s left-back spot later on when Joao Cancelo’s shot diverted that way. Sancho dribbled the ball out of danger and his presence stopped a tap-in for De Bruyne or Jesus.

Such defensive diligence has the potential to see Sancho used in a new role should Solskjaer continue to use the 3-4-1-2 system. Coaches have tried Sancho as a right wing-back in sessions in recent weeks and, with Wan-Bissaka’s attacking ability in question, Solskjaer may yet turn to the tactic against teams expected to sit in. That kind of repurposing may not appear the obvious use of Sancho’s offensive qualities but, in the right circ*mstances, it could aid Solskjaer’s search for team balance.

The belief at United is there is plenty more to come from Sancho.

Laurie Whitwell worked for the Daily Mail from 2010, covering midlands football for the last five years, including Leicester’s remarkable Premier League triumph. Whitwell was nominated for sports scoop of the year at the 2019 SJAs for breaking Wayne Rooney’s move to DC United. He will be reporting on Manchester United for The Athletic. Follow Laurie on Twitter @lauriewhitwell