Jadon Sancho has been sent on three separate loan spells since joining Manchester United in the summer of 2021, with the winger currently plying his trade at Aston Villa
Jadon Sancho of Aston Villa
Jadon Sancho has struggled so far at Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
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Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has shared his thoughts on Jadon Sancho's stint at Old Trafford amid the winger's early struggles on loan at Aston Villa.
The Englishman arrived at United during the summer of 2021, but subsequently lost his place in the first team under both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. Following his exclusion from the squad by two separate bosses, he has been dispatched on three different temporary moves, the initial one taking him back to his previous club, Borussia Dortmund, where he performed a vital part in helping the German outfit reach the Champions League final.
He was sent on loan to Chelsea last term, with his transfer containing a £25million obligation-to-purchase clause. Nevertheless, the Blues opted to pay a fifth of that sum as a penalty fee for declining to activate that provision.
Sancho returned to Old Trafford in the summer before being loaned out to Villa. The 25-year-old has made just eight appearances for Unai Emery's team so far, where he has failed to find the net or register an assist.
Villa do not possess an obligation or option to purchase him at the end of the campaign, meaning he is free to select his next destination. And former Reds striker Solskjaer has revealed details about Sancho's early period at United, having been in charge when the Manchester City academy graduate joined the club in July 2021.
"The club did [chase Sancho] he was the best option that we had," Solskjaer said on Stick to Football. "We wanted to take the next step, not from moving away but add in the last third players that could break teams down.
"Jadon's skill, link-up play, he offered something different and he was unlucky, before he came he went on holiday and then all this diving but he got an infection in his ear so he was in hospital.
"He really struggled his first 10 days before he could start with us in pre-season before he come to United. That's not come out but he's struggled.
"I never managed to play with him because I was out before he was on fire again."
Meanwhile, former striker Emile Heskey says Jadon Sancho can still revive his career but has questioned whether that will happen during his loan spell at Villa.
"It's a tough time for the lad, but he’s only young. He’s only 25, so the reality is that he can get his career back on track, but he really needs to figure out what he wants from his career," Heskey told 10bet Casino.
"He needs to start knuckling down and playing regular, consistent football. We’ve seen little glimpses of it, but we aren’t seeing enough of it. Unless you play regularly, it’s hard to get that fitness up to where it needs to be.
"Jadon needs to get sharper and work hard, because technically he’s as good as anyone. He’s probably technically better than all the other Villa players, but everyone else is ahead of him because they are delivering on the pitch while he isn’t.
"That’s sad to see, given the heights he was at. He was flying at Dortmund, moved to United, was in the England team. Really at the top of the game, with the best platform. Now he’s down here, but the fascinating thing is he can still build himself back up.
"For example, I went from Liverpool, then four years without England football, I knew I could build myself back up. I knew I could get back in, and he can do that too. I played at the World Cup, and he’s at a similar age to do the same."
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