Manchester United and Jadon Sancho have a complicated and interconnected history.
In a summer of tremendous fanfare with the additions of himself, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo, much was anticipated of the Englishman, but he has produced very little.
12 goals in 82 matches tells its own tale about the 24-year-old.
In truth, he spent the first half of last season frozen out owing to a very public falling out with Erik ten Hag, and the second half of the season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, where they reached the Champions League final.
It was assumed that the winger would be sold this summer, with a move to Juventus being rumored, but the beginning of this month saw a reunion between Sancho and Ten Hag, and he has played an important role in all of the club's pre-season games, and he will almost certainly start against his former club Manchester City in the Community Shield this weekend.
The Englishman's future remains uncertain, as it was claimed here yesterday that Paris Saint-Germain were in talks with United over Sancho, and it has previously been suggested that the winger would be willing to relocate to the French capital.
Nonetheless, United should give their brilliant winger another chance.
Sancho has failed to meet expectations throughout his three seasons at Old Trafford. That is an unavoidable fact. He was electrifying at Dortmund, scoring 50 goals in 137 appearances during his first term, but United fans have rarely seen him play in the Premier League.
At times, he appeared lethargic and unable to defeat English opponents in the same way he did in Germany.
12 goals in 82 matches tells its own tale about the 24-year-old.
In truth, he spent the first half of last season frozen out owing to a very public falling out with Erik ten Hag, and the second half of the season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, where they reached the Champions League final.
It was assumed that the winger would be sold this summer, with a move to Juventus being rumored, but the beginning of this month saw a reunion between Sancho and Ten Hag, and he has played an important role in all of the club's pre-season games, and he will almost certainly start against his former club Manchester City in the Community Shield this weekend.
The Englishman's future remains uncertain, as it was claimed here yesterday that Paris Saint-Germain were in talks with United over Sancho, and it has previously been suggested that the winger would be willing to relocate to the French capital.
Nonetheless, United should give their brilliant winger another chance.
Sancho has failed to meet expectations throughout his three seasons at Old Trafford. That is an unavoidable fact. He was electrifying at Dortmund, scoring 50 goals in 137 appearances during his first term, but United fans have rarely seen him play in the Premier League.
At times, he appeared lethargic and unable to defeat English opponents in the same way he did in Germany.
Ten Hag had a brief spell at the start of his first season, when he scored a fine goal against Liverpool in a 2-1 win in August 2022, when things began to click, but this quickly faded, and he was removed from the squad by Ten Hag over the winter to train with amateur Dutch side OJC Rosmalen in order to get out of the spotlight and get his head back in the game.
Nonetheless, Sancho is a phenomenally brilliant player on his day, and while United cannot wait indefinitely, he deserves another chance to play a complete season of football.
His first season was marred by controversy when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired and replaced by Ralf Rangnick, his second by mental health concerns, and his third by a falling out with Ten Hag.
Perhaps this year will be his fourth chance to stay injury-free and contribute throughout the season with an extended stint on the club.
Sancho was in terrific form at Dortmund last season, playing a key role in his team's surprising journey to the Champions League final and appearing much more like the player he once was.
Perhaps this year will be his fourth chance to stay injury-free and contribute throughout the season with an extended stint on the club.
Sancho was in terrific form at Dortmund last season, playing a key role in his team's surprising journey to the Champions League final and appearing much more like the player he once was.
Many have commented on United's depth on the wings, but perhaps not everything is as it seems.
Marcus Rashford has looked strong in preseason, but he is coming off the worst season of his career. Antony appears to have lost none of his guile and appears as one-dimensional as ever, while Amad Diallo, while appearing to have an extraordinary talent, has never had a sustained run in the United first team.
Alejandro Garnacho is the only "sure thing" on the wings, even though he is only 20 years old.
Marcus Rashford has looked strong in preseason, but he is coming off the worst season of his career. Antony appears to have lost none of his guile and appears as one-dimensional as ever, while Amad Diallo, while appearing to have an extraordinary talent, has never had a sustained run in the United first team.
Alejandro Garnacho is the only "sure thing" on the wings, even though he is only 20 years old.
Furthermore, if United adopt a more possession-based system, Sancho, who excels at unlocking defences via trickery and combination play, should benefit. The addition of Noussair Mazraoui would undoubtedly help in this direction.
Sancho may not be the long-term solution, and a fourth consecutive season of underperformance would be unacceptable, but he and the club must give him one more chance to prove he can be the star promised in 2021.
Sancho may not be the long-term solution, and a fourth consecutive season of underperformance would be unacceptable, but he and the club must give him one more chance to prove he can be the star promised in 2021.
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