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Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho played 80 minutes in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw away at Wolfsburg, this afternoon (Saturday).
Dortmund needed three points to stretch the gap between themselves and Leipzig in the top four of the Bundesliga but could only muster one from a stadium in which they have won seven of their last eight fixtures.
Sancho lined up in a central role next to Niclas Fullkrug as Edin Terzic deployed 4-2-2-2 formation to start the game.
It was a clever tactic that almost left Sancho claiming the opener. However, Marco Reus’s effort bounced past the United man and off the Wolfsburg keeper into the path of strike partner, Fullkrug, who bundled the ball over the line just shy of the 10 minute mark.
As with most recent Bundesliga fixtures, the game was then halted for a brief period by fan protests, something that would plague the flow of the entire game.
German fans are against a proposed deal to sell a future stake in the league to a private equity investor and have been throwing tennis ball and other objects onto the fields of play to air their grievances.
Sancho floated from the centre to wide-left in the first period of a match that far better suited the pace and style of his game than the frantic nature of the Premier League.
Despite that, Sancho failed to leave his mark in the period of Dortmund pressure after the goal, in a first half performance that was akin to a lot he produced in a red shirt.
Wolfsburg were unlucky not to go in at half time with parity and Sancho trudged off having been non-existent for the last 20 minutes of the first period.
The second half saw Sancho operate more from the left flank rather than off Fullkrug, with Terzic reverting to a more conventional 4-3-3.
Dortmund had control of the early stages of the restart and Sancho linked up well with Ian Maatsen to create a chance for former United man, Marcel Sabitzer, who shot directly at Casteels.
However, after the referee had walked the players off the pitch after a fifth interruption to the game, Wolfsburg deservedly drew level through substitute Yannick Gerhardt’s header.
Sancho was involved in a couple of Dortmund attacks as the away side searched for a second, but the 23-year-old is still missing that cutting edge he had in abundance in his first stint in a Black and Yellow shirt.
The forward was replaced by Jamie Bynoe-Gittens with just over ten minutes of normal time remaining, drawing an end to another largely forgettable afternoon for the United man.
Neither of the sides could find the winner and Dortmund had to make do with a point that leaves them just four clear of Leipzig, having played a game more.
Overall, Sancho is nowhere near full pelt since returning Germany but will need to get going soon if he is going to secure a big move in the summer.
An unimaginable drop off pic.twitter.com/QPGCL6GNO1
— Enda Higgins (@endahiggins88) February 17, 2024
It would be a surprise to see a reconciliation at Old Trafford, particularly with Erik ten Hag’s position looking safe for the new season, but United will be hoping the forward can finish the campaign strong in order to recoup some of the £72million fee forked out for him back in 2021.
