A player thriving after leaving Manchester United has become a constant stick to beat the club with, but a player who threw a petty dig at the club last season isn’t having such a great time.
It is easy to look at Man Utd as some sort of cursed institution where players fail to take off and have to rebuild their careers elsewhere.
However, the reality is that there’s a confirmation bias at play. For every Scott McTominay, there’s an Anthony Martial, or a Jesse Lingard, or a Facundo Pellistri.
Another name can now be safely added to the latter list, after a player who threw a petty dig at the club last season has yet to cross double figures in minutes played this season in the league.
Jadon Sancho vindicating Man Utd
If a player succeeding after leaving Old Trafford is a stick to beat United with, then surely a player who United had given up on failing to hit any form is vindication for the club.
Jadon Sancho, who refused to entertain multiple moves in the summer after Chelsea paid United £5m not to buy him in the summer, joined Aston Villa on deadline day.
Any hopes of this loan working for Sancho, like it did to an extent for Rashford, look already dashed after a month.
Not only were Villa struggling to find the back of the net until recently, but Sancho has played only eight Premier League minutes this season.
He has made some appearances in Europe, but his last goal contribution in the league came all the way back in April, when he scored against Ipswich for Chelsea.
Sancho has been plagued by injuries and illness, and Unai Emery, who instantly took a liking to Rashford, doesn’t feel the same about Sancho.
Sancho’s petty dig at United last season, when he commented “Freedom” on Rashford’s Instagram post, continues to age terribly, as Rashford worked himself to a move to Barcelona, where he’s impressing.
Sancho, on the other hand, will be without a club next summer.
Man Utd’s decision made easy on Sancho
Sancho’s contract expires next summer, so the prospect of United sealing a loan deal for the player raised some eyebrows.
However, Sancho had refused all permanent offers, so his eye is clearly on getting a signing-on fee next summer when he’s a free agent.
Had he started well at Villa, there would have been talks of United taking up the option to extend his contract for a year to find some transfer value.
Now, as it stands, that will be the furthest thing from United’s minds, making a potentially tricky decision extremely easy.
In fact, if this keeps up, then even Sancho’s wish for a big signing-on fee will fade to dust because no elite team will come in for him even on a free transfer.
For once, United have been vindicated.
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