Erik ten Hag was unable to find the formula to consistently unlock the prodigious talents of his Manchester United squad during his two-and-a-half year reign at Old Trafford. And he is now being shown up by a player who had to leave the Red Devils to get his career back on track.
Jadon Sancho has found a new lease of life since completing a loan move to Chelsea in the summer.
The 24-year-old was thrust into the Blues starting line-up for the trip to Tottenham on Sunday - and he didn’t disappoint as he netted his second goal for the club.
United signed Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 after splashing out £73million for the England international when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at the helm.
The winger’s United career already appeared to be on a downward trajectory by the time Ten Hag arrived at the club after a series of underwhelming displays during his maiden campaign in England.
And the former Ajax manager had no answers to rejuvenate the star, with Sancho appearing to be a shadow of the player who excelled in Germany at the start of his senior career.
Ten Hag persisted with Sancho during the 2022/23 campaign as the Englishman featured in 26 Premier League games. But after the duo had a public falling out when the player was dropped for a key clash with Arsenal in September 2023, there was no way back for Sancho.
He was subsequently shipped back off to Dortmund on loan during the second half of last season, before linking up with Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge.
Sancho is still finding his feet in the capital and has had to share game-time with the likes of Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto in the Chelsea attack. But the London-born ace is showing glimpses of the form that saw him win 23 caps for England before he had turned 22.
Sancho produced a stellar performance against Spurs as the Blues overcame a 2-0 deficit to win the clash 4-3. The forward netted his side’s first goal of the afternoon and laid on two other chances. He made three successful dribbles, won three of his four duels and completed 87 per cent of his passes.
The former Manchester City academy player is starting to be a menace in front of goal again and now has two goals and five assists to his name in all competitions since joining Chelsea.
In fact, he has been involved in a goal every 84 minutes on average in a Blues shirt. And his numbers could improve further as he beds himself into the squad.
Sancho at his best is an asset for any manager in the Premier League. And Ten Hag will be wishing the player didn’t wait until moving to west London to show how good he can be.