Jadon Sancho spoke to VillaTV about the people who pushed him to take the plunge with a loan at Aston Villa. One is a fellow forward from the Man United bomb squad whose story he hopes to share.
‘You feel that friendly environment’
The manager is always a big part of the plan in making a move work. Sancho spoke about his talks withUnai Emeryand how those interactions influenced his decision to sign for the Basques’ side this week.
“When I spoke to the manager he gave me belief and confidence. He showed me the plan of what they want to achieve and it inspired me. He definitely persuaded me, and I can’t wait to work under him.”
Sancho followed in the footsteps of Victor Lindelof in making a move from Manchester to the Midlands. The Swede has run down his contract with the Red Devils this summer and set his sights on a new home to extend his stay in England. On the other hand, it feels like the last chance saloon for the 25-year-old.
A similar story hung over the head of Marcus Rashford when he went on loan to the Villans at the start of 2025. His fiery form of the 2022/23 campaign was long gone, and he had fallen out of favour with Ruben Amorim. The forward felt that Villa Park would be the right place to reset himself mentally.
“I spoke to him while he was here last season. I know he really enjoyed it. He said many lovely things about the club, like how it’s a family. You feel that friendly environment with great players and staff.”
Sancho's second home is Borussia Dortmund, where he went on loan in January 2024. But without a viable way of working his wages, the attacker returned to the Premier League last summer for a year-long loan at Chelsea. Already, he feels happy about an environment that echoes what Rashford told him.
“I definitely felt that as I came in.”