Aston Villa supporters have delivered a strong verdict after Jadon Sancho made his debut in the Carabao Cup Third Round clash with Premier League rivals Brentford on Tuesday night. The on-loan Manchester United outcast is hoping to replicate the kind of short-term impact Marcus Rashford had last season when he joined Villa on a temporary basis in January.
At just 25 years old, Sancho is still best remembered for his formidable spell at Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 53 goals and provided 67 assists in 158 appearances. His time at Old Trafford, however, stalled badly - just as it has for many other promising players who made the move to the 20-time English champions in recent years. Despite his £73 million price tag, he managed only 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances.
Public spats with Erik ten Hag and later Ruben Amorim left his future in limbo, but Sancho now hopes that a successful stint in the Midlands will convince a long-term buyer to swoop in next summer. At Villa Park, he has been tasked with injecting goals and creativity into Unai Emery’s side, who, despite boasting Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, have yet to score in their opening four league games of the 2025/26 campaign.
How Jadon Sancho Performed on Aston Villa Debut
Sancho
For those hoping Sancho would unveil a revitalised version of himself at the Gtech Community Stadium, the debut brought bitter disappointment. In his 73-minute outing, he managed just one shot - clipping the woodwork when he should have done better - while failing to attempt a single cross and losing out on his only dribble attempt.
On top of that, he surrendered possession nine times, lost all three of his ground duels, and offered no defensive contribution whatsoever.
Flat, tepid, and seemingly out of ideas from the first whistle, Sancho’s display mirrored the form of a player who hasn’t managed a consistent starting role anywhere in Europe for the past three years.
Fans Cast Verdict on Sancho
Jadon Sancho during a pre-match warm-up with Chelsea
It's safe to say that a fanbase that has been deprived of goals - though finally getting one thanks to former Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott - was also left largely unimpressed by Sancho's contributions (or lack thereof). "Sancho with the whole goal go aim at smashes the post!" one X user remarked at the Englishman's missed opportunity. Elsewhere, a second added:
"Evann Guessand, Jadon Sancho, and Donyell Malen have all been disappointing tonight. They're all more than capable. This is their chance to go out there and show their quality. Bizarre."
A third user also added: "Sancho is rancid", as a fourth continued: "Sancho has forgotten to play football..." Meanwhile, a fifth turned the criticism to Emery by concluding: "If Emery thinks he can run Sancho and Digne on the left-hand side, that is, yet again, another sackable offence."