Aston Villa's Jadon Sancho is yet to start a Premier League game this term but the Manchester United loanee has started the last four games in Europe - but was substituted early on Thursday night in Basel
Jadon Sancho in the tunnel after hitting a chair
Jadon Sancho in the tunnel after hitting a chair(Image: TNT Sport)
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Jadon Sancho made his frustrations clear when substituted in Basel on Thursday night after another display where the Aston Villa loanee failed to show his best.
England international Sancho was hooked in the 64th minute in Switzerland, replaced by Morgan Rogers, and responded by punching a dugout seat as he made his way to sit down on the bench.
It was the 25 year-old's fourth successive Europa League start but he is still yet to start a Premier League game since joining the Villans on a season-long loan from Manchester United - a sign that he is still not fully up to speed with what Unai Emery wants and that, when it comes to the Spaniard's first choice starting lineup, he's still on the outside looking in.
Sancho's response to being brought off in Basel has been criticised by former Villa scout Bryan King, who spent 11 years - across two spells - scouting for the Villans and who first spotted Sancho during his time with England's youth teams.
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"One day, he’ll look back and realise how much money he’s making from football," said King, speaking to astonvillanews.co.uk. “All these players can sort themselves out with consistency in football if they start to get consistency in their lives away from football.
“He was the best talent I saw at the under-17s EUROs. Where he’s gone wrong is off the field, because he really was a talent at Manchester City.
“Sancho looks to me as if he doesn’t want to be at Villa. If that’s the case, then cheerio.
“You don’t use a football club like Aston Villa as somewhere to earn money, you’re at a very big football club. There’s only so much they can tolerate.
“When people start hitting out when they come off, and they’re upset, that’s fine, but make sure it’s in the dressing room. It’s no good to make a scene.“
It's not been an easy season for Jadon Sancho so far
It's not been an easy season for Jadon Sancho so far
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Sancho is likely to find himself back among the substitutes when Villa look to make it nine wins in a row on Sunday against West Ham United.
Despite enduring a poor start to the season, Villa have surged up the Premier League table to third and Emery says: “We are not feeling under pressure. We are feeling, with our responsibility, each one trying to get his best, very demanding collectively and individually and responding [in] each competition, each moment, like we need, and nothing more.
“Of course, 38 matches, there are a lot of points, and [a] long way to be consistent and demanding like we are. But now we are in December we are still feeling good, but each match is a test.
“And on Sunday is a huge test again against West Ham away, because they are progressively performing fantastic. They are really playing and competing much, much better than they did before."
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