Unai Emery is refusing to give up on Jadon Sancho after backing the Manchester United loanee to rediscover his best form for Aston Villa during the second half of the season.
Aston Villa host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, but Jadon Sancho will miss out due to not being eligible to play against his parent club.
The Villans are enjoying a strong campaign as they sit third in the Premier League after 16 matches, while United are sixth with just two points fewer than Chelsea in fourth.
United go to Villa Park following a dramatic 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday night. Ruben Amorim will be without some key players for the match, but the head coach confirmed that his squad had no fresh injury concerns.
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Split image of Marcus Rashford in Barcelona jacket looking to the side and Harry Amass in Sheffield Wednesday kit looking to the side.
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While Sancho will not be eligible to play against the Red Devils, that is not the case for former United defender Victor Lindelof, who has made 10 appearances for Villa thus far this season. The Swede has only started one Premier League game for Villa, which came in the 3-2 win over West Ham last weekend.
The future remains uncertain for Sancho as Villa have yet to commit to signing the England international on a permanent deal, with his contract at United set to expire in the summer.
Jadon Sancho against Young Boys
Photo by Marc Atkins – AVFC/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Unai Emery stance on Man Utd loanee Jadon Sancho
Sancho has yet to register a goal contribution since joining Villa on loan at the beginning of the season.
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The 25-year-old has been limited to substitute appearances in the Premier League, but Emery remains a firm believer in the player’s ability.
In his press conference on Friday, Emery sounded determined to get the best out of Sancho during the second half of the season.
“Jadon is still being young,” Emery told reporters, as quoted by Birmingham Live.
“He has had an amazing career and is now in a moment where he needs help to recover his best performance.
“I have this challenge with him. He has this challenge with me as well. Of course, he is not playing all the minutes I think he has to.
“But in the second part of the season, I believe in him. He is really being demanding himself to try to get his best moment this season with us.
“Of course, on Sunday we are finishing December and then starting January soon. The first match back he will play is against Chelsea.
“He has that challenge with me and himself, and with the club as well. I believe in him and hopefully we can get it.”
Manchester United team news vs Aston Villa
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What has Unai Emery said about Victor Lindelof?
With Pau Torres injured for Villa, Lindelof replaced the Spaniard in Villa’s defence last weekend.
Lindelof only had 25 minutes of Premier League football under his belt before the game, but he performed well as Villa beat West Ham 3-2.
Emery hailed Lindelof for his performance against the match, saying (via The Athletic): “We signed him for it.
“He showed his experience today. Playing in our structure, he was comfortable and calm with the ball in the build-up.
“It is not easy in the build-up on the left side when he is right-footed. He managed the passes we needed from him to the next players. He did fantastic.”
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