Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has spoken about Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho, whose contract at Old Trafford expires this summer
Jadon Sancho looks on
Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho has struggled at Aston Villa (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has admitted he "expects more" from Jadon Sancho. The Manchester United winger moved to the Midlands club on a season-long loan during the summer.
However, he has made a sluggish start to his Villa career. Sancho has found the net just once, with that goal arriving in a Europa League win against Turkish outfit Fenerbahce last month.
The 25-year-old finally registered his first Premier League goal contribution at the weekend when he set up Morgan Rogers for Villa's opening goal against Bournemouth. Whilst Emery has acknowledged that he is progressing, the Spanish boss has stated that he wants to see further improvement from the United attacker.
He said: "Hopefully he is getting better and he can help us in this process like he is, getting better. I expect more from him, and because I am positive, hopefully he will give us it."
Sancho has been away from Old Trafford for the past few seasons, with the winger having completed three separate loan moves. He returned to former club Borussia Dortmund during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.
Sancho then joined Chelsea last term, with the Blues having agreed to a £25million obligation to buy, though the Blues paid £5m to withdraw from that arrangement.
Sancho's existing United contract runs out this summer and he is yet to sign a new deal with the Reds.
Meanwhile, Sancho isn't the only Villa player Emery has sent a clear message to. Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz returned to the team on loan from Juventus in January, despite reported interest from Chelsea.
Jadon Sancho of Aston Villa
Jadon Sancho has not been a regular starter for Aston Villa(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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He added: "Douglas Luiz, Onana, Barkley, and Bogarde have a huge responsibility to replace the injured players - McGinn, Tielemans and Kamara. Those three have been here for a long time and have performed at high levels with great success. Now, Onana needs to maintain consistency and try to avoid injuries. He played a fantastic match.
"We needed him for defensive set-pieces. After a year and a half away, we need Luiz to get back into the swing of things and meet our demands.
"He improved from the first match, but there's still work to do to bring out his best. Barkley is a fantastic player who is regaining fitness.
"He's gaining confidence and will be important for us. Bogarde is always versatile and helps us. Replacing the players we had before is very important."