Manchester United waved goodbye to Jadon Sancho on transfer deadline day, ending an unhappy spell for all concerned.
Jadon Sancho’s departure from Manchester United to Chelsea was a merciful end to his Red Devils career.
Sancho left the club on loan with permanent obligation to buy. He won’t play for Manchester United ever again, with fans viewing Sancho as one of the club’s worst signings in history.
It was not just under Erik ten Hag where he struggled, with Sancho finding the pressure at United tricky, amid poor spells under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick too.
Jadon Sancho performance criticised
Jadon Sancho begun well at Chelsea with two assists in his opening two matches. But these were not defence splitting passes.
His first assist for instance was a simple lay-off outside the box to Christian Nkunku, who scored a solo goal to win the game.
It was a fine moment – but not exactly proof that Manchester United dropped a major error.
Instead a more familiar story has emerged from former footballer Tony Cascarino, who told The Times he went to watch Chelsea against Nottingham Forest, specifically to take a look at Jadon Sancho – and he was not impressed.
Cascarino said that while Sancho did not play badly, he explained: “I was just left wanting more from him.”
Elaborating more, he felt Sancho too unambitious and content to play safe, commenting: “Being OK, which is what he was, is a problem.
“The truth is that he made it easy for Nottingham Forest’s right back Ola Aina to play against him.”
He warned this could count against him long-term amid competition for places: “Chelsea have loads of wingers who can stand wide and pass the ball inside. Sancho can’t afford to be mediocre.”
Man Utd fans know Sancho limits
While Tony Cascarino’s assessment is a harsh one, it is one that paints a familiar story to Manchester United fans.
The pressure at Manchester United is very different, and Sancho’s performances for Chelsea will generally be given less spotlight than he would receive at Old Trafford.
Sancho is in his honeymoon period at Chelsea at present, and this latest bit of criticism is the first sign that his loan spell could take a turn for the worse.
United fans rarely saw Sancho beat an opponent or show ambition in possession. He was tidy, yet lacked explosive traits that supporters expect from a winger, and lacked fight.
Cascarino added: “He plays such a conservative game. He never got into a physical battle with Aina and never tried to take him on.”
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