For a young English player to move from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund in search of first-team football, speaks volumes of the player. However, Jadon Sancho has done precisely that, and now it may be time for the prodigal son to return to his home country.
Former Dortmund midfielder Steffen Freund has now stated in an interview with Talksport that the youngster is ready to play for a club like Manchester United or Liverpool, but he should consider staying in Germany at this stage to continue his development. He has said, “Jadon is ready to play for Liverpool or Man United, no question, because his stats are unbelievable. That shows that he can take the next step.”
Manchester United, who are trying to rebuild their squad in search of their past glory could do with the services of Sancho, as Solskjær could use a player like him in his team.
Sancho’s contributions at Dortmund
At the Bundesliga club, Lucien Favre has used the Englishman on the right side of his 4-2-3-1 formation, and Sancho has excelled at that position. However, he is capable of playing on the left side as well, where he is deployed occasionally by the National team manager Gareth Southgate. The youngster is blessed with lightning speed, and his physical dominance is an added advantage. In a team like Dortmund, where counter-attack is the primary strategy, a player like Sancho has enough liberty to explode from one of the wings, and the manager has exploited that quality to the optimal capacity.
The quality of the Dortmund attack is immense, and with players like Hazard and Brandt drifting inside, Sancho has enough men at his disposal to deliver his crosses. The 20-year-old is also an avid dribbler of the ball, evident from the fact that he has achieved 2.4 dribbles per game in the league. This quality is extremely crucial for a winger like him.
His success at the club has depended on his capability to move past the defenders with immense pace and delivering a key pass to the man in the centre. In this respect, it is worth mentioning that he has completed 2.2 key passes per 90 minutes this term.
Would he suit Solskjær’s tactics?
Playing for United, Sancho would get similar freedom to operate from the flanks as he has had in Dortmund. In a club where the manager plays more possession-based football, it would be difficult for a man like him to operate as the wingers seldom get the space they desire. At Man United, the starlet would have the opportunity to start counter-attacks, only this time with the services of Daniel James and Marcus Rashford to compliment his style. The Norwegian manager would also hope that Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes recover the ball in the opposition half and make a long pass to Sancho who could then use his quality to reach the final third.
From the Dortmund player’s point of view, a transfer to a team like Manchester United would also help him perform better for his national team and thus both the parties should look forward to concluding this deal.
Stats from Whoscored.
