Jadon Sancho opened the melon. He was not the first, but he was the most successful when he left the Manchester City subsidiary to go to the Bundesliga. The most precocious English talent had opportunities away from home, and Sancho knew how to take advantage of his. He was in a hurry. In Manchester they asked him for patience and in Dortmund they offered him a place in the first team. He went to Germany at the age of 17, and at 18 he swept the Teutonic league. 12 goals and 18 assists. 17 and 17 one year later, in 2019-20.
These statistics began to make the greats of England uncomfortable. Borussia itself continued to import young pearls, such as Jude Bellingham. Talent drain. Sancho’s surname began to be associated with the names of the main contenders for the Premier League, until he finally signed a contract last summer with Manchester United. It would have been the great story of the transfer market had it not been for Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford. The arrival of the Portuguese eclipsed his.
He had minutes and opportunities, but Sancho’s contributions did not match expectations. Jadon left his family home in Watford as a child to move to the north of England and enter the Manchester City academy. Both in this experience and in the departure for Dortmund, the attacker adapted relatively easily. In the Bundesliga he came and kissed the saint. It was not like that on his return to Manchester. His first goal as a Red Devil came at Villarreal. By then, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had already been dismissed. He scored again that weekend, against Chelsea. Two goals in two games with Michael Carrick on the bench. It seemed that it started, but it lacked consistency and regularity. Like his team, capable of winning Group F when it was most complicated and being eliminated in the cup by a second division.
After the fiasco in the FA Cup and the draw against Burnley and Southampton, Manchester United found the path to victory again. AND it has been in these last matches when Jadon Sancho has enjoyed more prominence. When it has shone the most. He scored the goal for his team in the aforementioned draw against Southamption, and goes into the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 after providing two assists against Leeds United.
It was his best game of the campaign. He punished a defense, that of Marcelo Bielsa, who is not afraid to take a step forward. Sancho found and took advantage of the spaces. He faced and successfully dribbled. Without fear. With momentum, confidence and technique. He spiked the ball for Bruno Fernandes to open the scoring in the first half and calmly held on inside the area in the second, until Anthony Elanga appeared on his left. He handed him the ball and the match was sentenced. 2-4. After a few first months of sparks, the young star begins to shine.