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Before the current season started, Manchester United fans expected Jadon Sancho to finally find his feet under Erik ten Hag after a wobbly 2022/23 campaign.
The way Ten Hag supported Sancho amid the Englishman’s physical and mental challenges mid-season was seen as a sign of a strong connection between manager and player.
Everything seemed in place for Sancho to finally thrive at the Red Devils, two years after he returned to Manchester from Dortmund. However, in September it emerged that things are far from perfect between the pair.
The Dutch coach dropped the 24-year-old from United’s squad to face Arsenal in North London. Explaining his decision, Ten Hag claimed that he was not pleased with Sancho’s output in training.
The situation escalated when the England international took to social media to refute his manager’s claims.
That proved to be the final nail in the coffin, as both Sancho and Ten Hag refused to budge and mend their relationship.
The superstar forward returned to Borussia Dortmund in January, joining the Bundesliga outfit on loan for the remainder of the season.
In his very first appearance for Dortmund, Sancho registered an assist. He also scored a brilliant goal in his side’s Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven.
In an interview with The Mirror, his former youth coach Sayce Holmes-Lewis shed light on how United failed to get the best out of their £73m signing.
Holmes-Lewis said: “We saw what he did during his time at Dortmund, his first stint, and now you see him returning to Dortmund and just having a feel for the game again, being supported in a way that maybe he is not being supported at Man United, but you are seeing now how he is expressing himself on the pitch and he is playing the game like he loves the game again.”
Holmes-Lewis, who spotted Sancho when he was at Watford, further added that it is vital that decision-makers in football make sure the young players enjoy their game.
Interestingly, Dortmund manager Edin Terzić also touched upon the mental side of the game while talking about Sancho.
Before the Signal Iduna Park outfit’s clash against TSG Hoffenheim in late February, Terzić revealed that Sancho is “full of joy” in Dortmund.
With Sancho now frequently showing shades of the player that caught the eyes of Europe’s biggest sides during his first spell in Germany, it would be interesting to see what United do with him this summer.
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