Jadon Sancho has joined Aston Villa on a loan deal to last until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
The 25-year-old follows Victor Lindelof, who is a free agent after the expiry of his contract, in making the move from Man United. Marcus Rashford also spent four months with Villa to get his head right away from Old Trafford, and Sancho will see this similarly as a revival project for a faltering career.
Last chance saloon?
Borussia Dortmund sold Sancho for £73 million to the Red Devils in the summer of 2021. He was the talk of the town as a player who was hitting double-digit goals and assists year after year in Germany.
The attacker agreed on a five-year deal with the option of an extension for an additional year at Man United. In his head, this transfer would have worked out much better than what has happened in reality.
Output dried up in the Premier League, and Sancho was clearly someone who preferred to connect with teammates in the final third rather than take the game to opponents alone. Potential was going to waste.
An explosive fallout with **Erik ten Hag**was the final straw, and he went on loan back to Dortmund.
Sancho's second home handed him a lifeline as a wildcard to propel the team to the 2024 Champions League final. But his wage packet was too much to bear in the long term, and he returned to England.
Last campaign, he was on loan at Chelsea. After a strong start, he settled back into a familiar pattern of promise with little cutting edge. The Blues reneged on an obligation to buy and sent him packing.
Ruben Amorim had never worked with him, but Sancho would become part of the 'bomb squad.'
Now, the attacker has entered the last year of his contract with the Red Devils. If he is going to make a career in the Premier League,, Aston Villa appears to be a last chance saloon for any success.