Jadon Sancho can still be a star for Manchester United, he needs Erik ten Hag to make a change

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Unfortunately Jadon Sancho seemed to become the poster boy for all that was wrong at Manchester United.

His £73 million price tag has hung heavily around him, but it is important to analyse whether the problems were due to the player or how he was deployed.

• READ: Jadon Sancho needs to prove three things to Man Utd supporters, Erik ten Hag has a theory on one of them

Fitting Jadon Sancho into the team

Part of the problem for Jadon Sancho has been the range of managers that he has played under at Manchester United.

Some could see him as a victim, rather than a problem, of the Manchester United turmoil that has surrounded the club in recent years.

The winger has had to play three different styles under three different managers, all under the context of toxicity in and around the club.

Also, up until now, all those who have been in charge of the club have not understood how to get the best out of the player.

The positive reality of the team in the 2024/25 season is that Erik ten Hag is trying to deploy a style that would suit Jadon Sancho.

Through the summer of 2024 the team have been making moves to acquire players that are more close to the profile of player that was used by Ajax. This means that ten Hag can then deploy the specific tactics of this very successful side.

If the manager gets the players then the more passing focused style will mean that Sancho can flourish.

So far during his whole career at Manchester United Jadon Sancho has been entrusted with the role of running down the wing, working on fast transitions and taking people on. Whilst he is very talented at being able to do this, it is not the best use of his skills.

With players around him who can make runs and read the game better Sancho will be able to play the best style, which is about controlling and dictating play. Sometimes making runs, but also holding up play or finding a line breaking pass.

The only negative that cannot be fixed is that he is not a pressing winger. But this is not necessarily an issue if he is coupled up with a player, like Mason Mount, who is good in defending on the front foot and covering for Sancho.

Sancho’s data

When Manchester United signed Jadon Sancho in the summer of 2021 they were signing one of the most talented players in Europe.

His data was phenomenal, but he was also a very specific type of winger. The main attributes of Sancho was that he was an amazing ball distributor and also a fantastic finisher with an ability to regularly overperform xG.

However, he has always had a weakness on the defensive aspects. Even though he has played for Borussia Dortmund the pressing aspects of his game have been lacking, but this was never a problem in Germany as they understood his playstyle.

Looking at his data below we can see that he still continues to be an incredibly creative player with fantastic abilities of chance creation. His loan to Borussia Dortmund showcased that he still had the skills that some had begun to doubt when he was playing in the Premier League.

Jadon Sancho has been consistently brilliant in his strong areas, like passing, creativity and finishing, but also the data shows that he still does not tackle or intercept.

So looking at the statistics, Manchester United still have an elite, creative forward. This could be a boost to the side as last season the team lacked creativity going forward and were too reliant on the abilities of Bruno Fernandes.

Moreover, the lack of creativity in the team was prominent all season. The team were twelfth in the league for Big Chances Created in the 2023/24 season, around the same level of output as Crystal Palace and Everton.

37% of these chances created by Bruno Fernandes with 23, the next closest was Antony with just 7. This data shows the overreliance on Bruno Fernandes, whereas Sancho could spread the creativity and make Manchester United more potent.

Sancho is the type of player who would provide creativity up the pitch and unlock the potential of players like Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford.

Conclusion

The main issue seems to be with relationships off the pitch. There was the much publicised fallout last season with Erik ten Hag. If this can be sorted then Manchester United have a world class player in their ranks who will suit the style they wish to deploy.

On this issue there seems to be positives as Erik ten Hag has recently stated that he has “drawn a line” and that “we move on” from the Sancho argument. The club and player have until 2026, with an option to extend to 2027, to see the talents that attracted Manchester United in the first place.

The data shows that he is still one of the best creative players, which Manchester Untied desperately need, and if Erik ten Hag can go further, or fully complete, the transition over to an Ajax type style then Sancho will prosper.