It did not take Jadon Sancho long to prove his point after leaving Manchester United.
The winger marked his second debut for Borussia Dortmund with an assist against Darmstadt on Saturday, shortly after coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute. It was Sancho’s first competitive game since August and a reminder that the forward’s time at United represents a missed opportunity.
Back in 2021, the signing of the £73m winger was, rightly, met with plenty of fanfare by United supporters. Sancho had become a shining light for Borussia Dortmund, registering 114 goal contributions in 137 games, all while still only 21 years old. He was supposed to be a superstar that would help to usher in another era of success at Old Trafford.
Instead, his debut season brought just five goals and three assists. Under Erik ten Hag, Sancho was given an extended break to deal with “physical and mental” issues last term, only for a public fallout with the United boss in September leading to him being exiled from the first team group.
The winger was left out of the squad for United’s game against Arsenal, with Ten Hag saying it was down to his below-par efforts in training. But Sancho hit back on social media in a now-deleted post in which he claimed he had been made a “scapegoat”.
“All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team,” Sancho wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and (am) grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!”
It is all a far cry from how his time at United was meant to unfold. Having been one of the breakthrough stars in European football during his first spell in Germany, it was little surprise that Sancho described Dortmund as “returning home” upon rejoining the club earlier this week.
“I can’t wait to see my teammates again, go out on the pitch, play football with a smile on my face, prepare goals, score goals and help qualify for the Champions League,” Sancho said. Echoing his previous hopes of contributing for his team, it took Sancho just 22 minutes to begin delivering on that promise.
While Sancho will be hoping to rediscover his smile in a Dortmund shirt, there has been little for Ten Hag to be happy about, in terms of his forwards’ output. It is well-documented that summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has a solitary league goal, while £86m man Antony is yet to register a single goal or assist this season.
Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford both have three Premier League goals apiece. These tallies are part of the reason why United find themselves nine points short of the Champions League places.
Despite being almost certain to leave the club permanently in the summer, United fans are sure to be keeping a close eye on Sancho’s progress for the rest of the season. It may not prove to be sustainable but, for now, the forward is delivering what he set out to achieve this season.