Inside Jadon Sancho’s Man Utd living nightmare – from Ronaldo to mentality

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Jadon Sancho looked like the happiest man on the planet when he joined Manchester United in a £73m deal last summer.

"The chance to join Manchester United is a dream come true and I just cannot wait to perform in the Premier League," championed Sancho after completing his move from Borussia Dortmund during the Euros.

He added: "This is a young and exciting squad and I know, together, we can develop into something special to bring the success that the fans deserve. I am looking forward to working with the manager and his coaching team to further develop my game."

Sancho had the footballing world at his feet. He'd just joined the biggest club on the planet and was helping England march to the Euro 2020 Final on home soil.

But less than six months later the "dream" has turned into a living nightmare for someone who is developing into nothing more "special" than an expensive after-thought who cannot even get into the team.

Within weeks of joining United, Sancho saw his new club pull-off a stunning move to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo – to leave the warning sign written on the wall in large letters.

Sancho has made just 10 league starts this season and scored twice in all competitions.

He's looked lost and confused – not to mention one of the biggest flops of recent times.

Sancho appears to be someone who needs a kick up the backside – and has now got one after United's interim boss Ralf Rangnick told him to sort his head out if he wants to succeed on the biggest stage.

Rangnick said: "It's difficult to say (why things haven't worked out). It's a different league, different competition and more physical and now he's playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"I think it's also got to do with a lot of the things up here in his head. Whenever I see him train he's showing up and is one of the best players in the training sessions. Now it's about the transfer to when he's playing, showing the same kind of level and performance on the pitch."

Sancho, 21, faced accusations of having an attitude problem during his time in the Bundesliga – and was fined several times for either being late for training or missing it altogether.

His move to Dortmund from Manchester City for just £7m in 2017 caused shockwaves, but Pep Guardiola took the difficult decision after Sancho refused to join the squad on a pre-season tour of America.

Rangnick reckons Sancho is suffering a crisis in confidence and struggling to handle the pressure and expectation that comes with such a big price tag.

Rangnick, whose side travel to Brentford tonight, added: "With creative players it's all about confidence, being aware of how good they can be and then showing it in front of 75,000.

"In the end he has to do that, he has to take that step again. He has the ability to do that, there is no doubt about that. But now we have to develop him into that kind of player, show him the same kind of performances that he has shown at Borussia Dortmund.

"The level of expectation was a lot lower (at Dortmund) compared to situation where you come at his age to a club like Manchester United for a high transfer fee, with a high level of expectation.

"Everyone expected that he would be one of the best players in the team. This is psychologically and emotionally a more challenging situation than the one at Borussia Dortmund – and these are exactly the kind of steps that he has to make to become a top player for the next 10 years at this club.

"We can give guidelines, we can give him a helping hand and show him we are trying to accompany him on this way and give him all the necessary assistance that he needs, but in the end it's up to him to take the next steps. Confirm the performances you show in training when you're playing on the pitch."

• Manchester United FC
• Jadon Sancho

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