Jadon Sancho was once the golden boy of English football – a player with dazzling skills, fearless confidence, and a keen eye for goal.. However, in recent years, his star has faded, and he now makes headlines more for off-field drama than on-pitch brilliance. For someone who finished as runner-up in the 2019 Golden Boy award while at Dortmund and appeared to be on a trajectory towards greatness akin to team-mates Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, his fall from grace has been stark.. His move to Manchester United in 2021, which was supposed to catapult his career, quickly turned into a nightmare, marred by poor form, personal issues, and a bitter feud that eventually led to his exile. His stint at Chelsea hasn’t fared much better, with flashes of his former undeniable talent now drowned in mediocrity and overshadowed by repeated digs at his former club. Here, MEN examines where it all went wrong for Sancho.. Issues at Man United. The excitement surrounding Sancho following his £73million transfer to United from Dortmund in 2021 was palpable. He had netted 36 goals in his last two seasons at the Westfalenstadion, and naturally, the Red Devils had high expectations.. However, a noxious mix of poor form, club instability, and personal issues hindered his progress from the start. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s management, United finished second in 2020/21 but had slipped to seventh by the time the Norwegian was dismissed just months after Sancho’s arrival.. Jadon Sancho struggled to settle at Man Utd, and wasn’t helped by Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival (Image: AFP via Getty Images). The deadline-day signing of Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t help matters either. The Portuguese superstar was a constant fixture as United’s No. 9, leading to fierce competition for the remaining two spots in the front three. Sancho was forced to jostle for position with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Elanga, and Jesse Lingard.. Things initially looked up when Erik ten Hag took over in 2022 – especially since his appointment led to Ronaldo’s dramatic exit – but the situation worsened when the United boss revealed that Sancho was struggling with physical and mental issues. After a month-long break from football, he returned to the pitch, but it wasn’t long before tensions escalated into a full-blown feud between him and Ten Hag.. Ten Hag spat. Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho fell out in 2023 (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images). Following Sancho’s exclusion from the squad for United’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal in September 2023, Ten Hag claimed the forward’s training performances hadn’t been satisfactory. In response, Sancho accused his manager of lying on social media, even branding himself a “scapegoat”.. He posted: “I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue. I have conducted myself very well in training this week… I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!”. Sancho was swiftly banished from the first team and reportedly even booted out of the squad’s WhatsApp group. He was also relegated to training with the academy players and denied access to the first-team canteen facilities.. While some senior squad members felt sympathy for Sancho, it is understood that none deemed his decision to accuse the manager of dishonesty as sensible or justified. Ten Hag insisted on an apology, with insiders suggesting that Sancho could have been reintegrated into the squad had he offered one.. Sancho was booted out of the first team facilities at Carrington, and even the squad’s WhatsApp group. However, no apology was forthcoming, and their relationship soured irreparably. A mid-season loan move back to Dortmund was promptly organised, where Sancho’s form saw a significant upturn.. His performances helped the club reach the Champions League final that season, although they were ultimately defeated by Real Madrid. In contrast, United’s Premier League campaign concluded disastrously, with a woeful eighth-place finish – their worst in the competition’s history.. Yet, Ten Hag’s position was saved following an unexpected FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City, which left Sancho in a difficult situation. With any chance of reconciliation with the Dutchman ruled out, another loan move was arranged, this time to Chelsea. The deal included an obligation-to-buy clause, set to be activated if the Blues finish higher than 15th in the Premier League this season.. Rashford outrage. Sancho’s comment under Rashford’s Instagram post ruffled plenty of feathers (Image: Getty Images). Since his summer transfer to Chelsea, Sancho has made more headlines for his social media activity than his on-pitch performances. The 24-year-old’s start at Stamford Bridge has been underwhelming, with just two goals in 21 appearances.. His much-hyped ‘escape’ from United hasn’t sparked the resurgence many thought it might. However, it seems Sancho believes it could for Rashford, who, after a falling out with United head coach Ruben Amorim, has followed in Sancho’s footsteps by leaving on loan, in this case to Aston Villa.. Under an Instagram post about Rashford’s Villa debut last week, Sancho commented: “Freedom,” which ignited a significant backlash. Some accused the Chelsea player of petulance and unprofessionalism, while many United fans called for their club – who still contribute towards Sancho’s wages – to fine him.. Former United goalkeeper Ben Foster, speaking on his podcast Ben Foster – The Cycling GK, said Sancho’s comment “reeked of toxicity”, insisting it only proves that the club was right to let him go. “What is he doing? That’s ridiculous because he is still actually employed by Manchester United, so is Marcus Rashford,” Foster exclaimed.. Sancho wrote “freedom” in the comments section of Rashford’s Instagram post about his Aston Villa debut (Image: Instagram/marcusrashford). “It just reeks of toxicity at United. It reeks of an unhappy place to be, that everybody’s buzzing for someone to get out [of the club].”. Simon Jordan didn’t hold back on talkSPORT as he weighed in on Sancho’s situation, saying: “Sancho’s career has gone backwards… this is the sort of atypical response from people that always like to align other people with the blame or their current failings. I think it’s a sad indication of where United have gotten to to think that people can speak about the club in this way.. “I think the underlying message is that you’re out of the awful place that Man United has become. A place that has been created by the culture of players there and I would suggest that players like Jadon Sancho who only like it when they’re told all the good things. They can’t really deal with any home truths or they can’t have any consequences for their actions because if they do, they don’t like it.”. Meanwhile, The Daily Mail reports that Rashford is not pleased with Sancho’s commentary and is unhappy about being pulled into his dispute with United.. Sign up to get even more from our Man United coverage. We want your views, Reds. You can become even more involved with our Man United coverage by signing up. This will unlock a whole host of things – including joining the comments and taking part in our special Q&As, where you can speak directly to our reporters about what’s happening at Old Trafford this week and beyond.. Click here to get started.
