Jadon Sancho has come off the bench in both of Manchester United’s matches so far.
With the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Jack Grealish having been thrust into action at their new clubs, that has raised question marks.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has conducted an interview with a publication from his native Norway, Dagbladet, where that was put to him.
The United boss explained why Sancho is yet to start a game.
“There is so much you should know,” said Solskjaer. “Now it’s no secret that he was ill. When he was about to come here, he lost the first week.
“He was pretty bad, and not close to being in shape to start a Premier League match against Leeds, which is an extreme task in itself with the fitness they have.
“We followed him all the time after the deal didn’t come off last year. Then it became too expensive, but we did not lose interest.
“He gained a year of extra experience, we became a better team during that year, and the price was better for us. We know that he will be very important to us for many years to come.”
An unfortunate setback
After an extended break following his run to the final of the Euros, what Sancho really needed was to come in and hit the ground running.
The illness has clearly set him back from making an instant impact, and his situation is not comparable to Lukaku or Grealish.
Perhaps after the international break, we’ll see the best of Sancho, who will have had more training behind him.
It remains to be seen if he’ll start at Wolves or whether he’ll continue to be eased in by Solskjaer.
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