In a candid conversation on The Overlap, Solskjaer has revealed exactly how rough the winger’s start truly was.
"We wanted to take the next step, not move away from what we had, but add something different in the final third," Solskjaer began while reasoning the big-money move for Sancho.
"We wanted players who could break teams down, and Jadon, with his skill, link-up play, and little passes around the box, gave us that. He was unlucky through. Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection. He was in the hospital, and really struggled for his first 10 days or so before he could even start training with us. That hasn't previously come out before. I never really got to play with him properly, because by the time he was finding form again, I was already on my way out."
Solskjaer’s departure in November 2021, after losing seven of his final 13 matches, meant Sancho lost the manager who believed in him most before he could settle. And Erik ten Hag’s arrival marked the beginning of Sancho’s most turbulent chapter. Despite making 41 appearances in the Dutch manager’s first full season, the forward soon took a break from the squad due to "physical and mental" concerns at the end of 2022. Ten Hag sent him to train alone in the Netherlands under trusted staff in an attempt to rebuild the winger’s confidence and conditioning. However, the reintegration process failed to bring out the desired results.
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