Manchester United are interested in signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, according to reports from The Athletic, along with Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Sancho, 19, joined Dortmund from Manchester City’s academy in 2017 having not played a single minute of first-team football for Pep Guardiola’s side. Though, he has excelled in the Bundesliga and would provide the perfect competition for Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Daniel James if United could tempt him back to Manchester.
The History and Statistics
Upon his arrival in Germany, Sancho was immediately placed in the Dortmund first-team squad made his debut against Eintracht Frankfurt on 21 October 2017. In doing so, he became the first Englishman (substantiation needed) to make an appearance for Borussia Dortmund. The following January, Sancho made his first league start against Wolfsburg. Then three months later he produced a scintillating display against Bayer Leverkusen scoring his first Bundesliga goal and recording two assists in the 4-0 victory.
He then signed a new contract to keep him at the club until 2022 on wages reported to be in the region of £190,000 a week, including bonuses. He was named Bundesliga October Player of the Month 2018 after registering three goals and three assists in three league games. Included in that was a brace against Hertha BSC making him the first player born in the 2000s to score twice in a German top-flight match. Sancho also became the first player born in the 2000s to score in the UEFA Champions League when striking against Athletico Madrid last year.
After a stunning 2018-19 that included 12 goals and 14 Bundesliga assists, Sancho was named in the Bundesliga team of the season. He then won the first trophy of his career when he scored and assisted in the 2-0 DFL-Supercup victory over Bayern Munich in August.
The Prospects
Based on his impressive performances in guiding Dortmund to second place last season, along with making some commanding displays ahead of Rashford for England, there is little doubt Sancho would be a success. He certainly fits Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s mould of fast wingers with excellent technical capabilities and an eye for goal.
There is also plenty of room for Sancho to progress, at 19-years-old he is far from the finished article and the prospect of where he could develop should frighten any team he faces.
Whether Manchester United can convince him to join their rebuilding project is another story though, as he has a whole host of European giants tracking his progress. Many might question his decision, especially considering The Athletic has reported that Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid are also interested, all of whom have a much greater chance of securing silverware.
