Although the former Dortmund star has yet to prove that he is worth the high price tag at Old Trafford, his teammate’s comeback should give him optimism for the future.
The 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest by Manchester United was motivating for several of the players. When Antony Martial scored and assisted in the same Premier League game for the first time, he displayed class after getting back to full fitness and slashed through the Tricky Trees.
But Jadon Sancho still gave off the impression of a player who doesn’t trust in himself over on the left flank. He made a few exciting runs and played some well-placed passes in the middle of the field, but he frequently appeared hesitant to move forward.
Only one of his three dribbling attempts was successful. He only managed two attempts on target and appeared to have trouble getting past defenders. One of them flew over the bar, while Keylor Navas successfully saved the other.
Sancho has started all four of United’s recent contests, but throughout that span, he has only provided one noteworthy contribution—Scott McTominay’s assist in the victory over Everton.
He has only managed five goals across all competitions this season, and Erik ten Hag decided not to take him on the World Cup training camp to Spain because of concerns about his fitness. As a result, he was out of the team for around nine weeks.
He appears to be a shell of the exciting, effective player he once was at Borussia Dortmund.
Don’t dismiss him just yet, though. There are many examples of players who have overcome challenging periods to demonstrate their value for United, and Sancho only needs to look to Marcus Rashford as evidence that things can change in the course of a year.
Battling through shoulder ᴘᴀɪɴ
It is simple to forget that Rashford is having his finest season ever during a time when he was also severely criticized and many people thought his time at Old Trafford was numbered.
He took injections and medicines to play through most of the 2020–21 season while dealing with a shoulder problem before deciding to have surgery.
Like Sancho, he also had a challenging summer after missing his penalty in the shootout for the Euro 2020 championship against Italy.
He was sidelined by shoulder surgery until mid-October, and when he returned to the team, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had already lost his job.
He also had to re-adapt to a team whose style of play had been totally altered to make room for a 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
Few goals and terrible body language
His first start was in the appalling 5-0 loss to Liverpool at home, and his second came in the 4-1 thumping at Watford, which ended up being Solskjaer’s final match as manager.
Rashford only started 13 of the 31 Premier League games he was able to play in after finishing his recuperation.
One particular instance seemed to capture his terrible situation well. When a Mason Greenwood shot was deflected into his path during an FA Cup match against Aston Villa, Rashford did not seek to seize the opportunity and instead complained to his strike partner that he had not passed to him.
He was mocked online by supporters and commentators, including Steve McLaren, who is currently one of his United coaches, who cited his unfavorable body language.
After that game against Villa, Rashford only made eight starts across all competitions and finished the season with a dismal five goals and one assist while United earned their poorest point total in 30 Premier League campaigns.
Enjoying the form of his life
Compare that to his performance this year, when he has 10 assists and 27 goals.
He has already scored more goals than in any prior campaign and will have plenty of opportunities to do so whenever he recovers from ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ.
Although Rashford and his attorneys hold all the cards as his current contract expires in 2024 and his stock has never been greater, the club is now keen to lock him to a new contract.
Considering how low Rashford had fallen during the previous season, his comeback has been astounding. But it shouldn’t have been all that sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ given his career.
He had 143 goal contributions, averaging 23 per season, from his astonishing double against Midtjylland in February 2016 when he made his debut until the end of the 2020–21 season.
The 2021–2022 season was a misstep in an otherwise stellar career.
‘Football is 95% your mentality’
Rashford also put a lot of effort towards regaining his ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ and physical equilibrium.
While most of his teammates were enjoying their summer vacations last year, he traveled to Nike’s headquarters in Oregon for an intense training program, working with a team of fitness trainers and sports scientists. After the Euro 2020 final defeat, he sought the assistance of a psychologist.
He practiced sprints on an elevated 200-meter track and ran while carrying bungee cords on his back while he worked on his explosiveness.
Additionally, he collaborated ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴏɴ his finishing with Ten Hag and his coaching staff, especially Benni McCarthy.
Rashford claimed in February that “football is probably 95 percent your ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ.” “That provides you with a performance baseline. There are many players with talent, which is why they compete at the highest level. The ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ, though, is what distinguishes them.
“I’m focusing a lot more on maintaining that mindset because it’s necessary to win games and trophies,” the athlete said.
Sancho can bounce back too
Rashford’s recent improvement shows how much a player can advance if they put up the effort. So why can’t Sancho recover as well?
His performance at Dortmund was outstanding. He participated in 137 games with 50 goals and 64 assists, earning a spot on the Bundesliga’s Team of the Season for both the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons.
If someone argues that the Bundesliga and Premier League cannot be compared, they should consider the ꜰᴀᴄᴛ that Erling Haaland, Sancho’s former teammate, has scored significantly more goals in England than he did in Germany.
He obviously has a lot of potential; he has just had a hard time fitting in at United.
Battling physical and mental problems
It’s not entirely his fault. Everyone involved had a terrible season last year, and players like Rashford and Bruno Fernandes struggled in the midst of a disorganized campaign in which United had three different managers.
For Sancho personally, this season has been challenging. He erased all of his social media posts in November after being benched for several games.
Ten Hag gave an explanation of Sancho’s inclusion in the individual training program in December.
“He played several good games when the league first started, but then the levels dropped. The Dutchman replied, “Sometimes you don’t know why or what is causing it.
Most of the time, it progresses gradually. You may first see, but the statistics support it. He had goals and assists at the beginning of the season, but his crucial moments and crucial actions decreased over time. It combines both physical and ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ aspects.
Since rejoining the United team in January, Sancho has avoided speaking to the public, and we still don’t know what caused his extended absence.
He might have been having personal issues. Footballers are people just like the rest of us, and personal problems may easily have an impact on a player’s performance, particularly at a demanding club like United.
Even the very best go through slumps
No football player has ever had a flawless career.
After failing to obtain the transfer to Manchester City that he desired, Harry Kane spent the majority of the previous season wandering in the desert. And it took him years of loan stints before he was ready to become the player he would be.
Even several Ballon d’Or winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have experienced stretches of poor play.
After being harassed by the media for his part in getting Wayne Rooney sent off in Portugal’s 2006 World Cup quarterfinal victory over England, Ronaldo needed three seasons at United before he really came into his own in the 2006–07 season.
Nick Cox, the director of United’s youth academy, emphasized that dips are a normal part of a player’s growth in an interview with GOAL on the ascent of United’s teenage star Alejandro Garnacho.
“I believe that it’s always very simple for onlookers to assume that people are instant successes and that they haven’t encountered any obstacles or disappointments along the road. Top achievers rarely experience this, he added.
Sancho deserves a chance… but it’s also up to him
Sancho is also affected, even though Cox did not specifically mention him. Even the best athletes experience disappointments.
Sancho, who is still only 23, has at least another ten years among the top ahead of him. He deserves encouragement, not to be written off as yet another pricey Manchester United failure and cast aside before he has a chance to show his worth.
He must decide as well, though. He needs to get the medical attention he needs to become the player he once was, both physically and emotionally.
He must also put in the effort. And he may start by having a lengthy talk with Rashford, another member of his team.
