Jadon Sancho made an appearance from the bench for Aston Villa against Chelsea on Saturday night, with former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney praising the forward
Jadon Sancho of Aston Villa
Jadon Sancho has been praised by Wayne Rooney
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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has praised Jadon Sancho following his cameo appearance for Aston Villa. Sancho, who left the Red Devils to join Villa on a season-long loan during the summer transfer window, had the opportunity to play against his former club, Chelsea, in Saturday night's Premier League match.
Sancho spent the previous season on loan at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea had the option to make his move permanent for £25million as part of the loan agreement.
However, despite Sancho playing a pivotal role in Chelsea's UEFA Conference League victory, including scoring in the final against Real Betis, the London club chose not to exercise their buy option.
Instead, they paid a penalty fee to United, resulting in Sancho's return to Old Trafford.
Before his cameo against Chelsea, Sancho had only made 13 appearances for Villa. The 25-year-old was unable to play against United last week due to loan regulations that prevent players from facing their parent clubs.
Rooney expressed his appreciation for Sancho's performance off the bench for Villa, also pointing to the United loanee's lack of regular minutes this season during his loan spell so far, reports the Manchester Evening News.
"Jadon Sancho came into this as well, and we haven't seen much of him this season, but I thought he was excellent when he came on," Rooney said on BBC's Match of the Day.
"Getting the ball, driving with the ball and committing the Chelsea defenders and then they had runners, they had Morgan Rogers making runs in behind."
What lies ahead for Sancho at United remains uncertain, with his contract at Old Trafford due to expire next summer.
United do possess the option to extend the agreement by a further 12 months should they choose to do so, which could provide them with the chance to secure a fee for Sancho in the summer rather than see the former Borussia Dortmund star depart on a free transfer.
Sancho's next chance to shine for Villa will come when they head to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night to face Premier League leaders Arsenal, in their final fixture before the New Year.