Jadon Sancho is slowly finding his form back again with Borussia Dortmund, with the Manchester United loanee foiling Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich on the weekend.
After what was a shaky start back at his former club, the £73m man is now showing some of the former class and ability that tempted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to bring him to Old Trafford.
He had a sublime performance in the Champions League, and then the following weekend he helped the Yellow Wall get one over their bitter rivals Bayern, with Dortmund’s side emerging 2-1 victors in the Bundesliga.
In all fairness to Sancho, good on him. He’s showing glimpses of the supremely talented wonderkid that used to dazzle the masses at the Signal Iduna Park.
Former youth coach on Jadon Sancho
Sayce Holmes-Lewis, a lifelong friend, ex-footballer and former coach of Sancho, spoke to the Mirror about the Englishman and, more so, the struggles he’s faced in his career so far.
“Jadon, we’ve been close, I speak to his dad quite often, I haven’t watched him live for a while at a Man United game but again I try to be there when they need me.
“It’s not easy for them because they’ve left their communities, they’re in the spotlight, and the lack of support they sometimes get from the clubs – because, you know, they have these vast amounts of money – they end up coming back to the people they trust, and I know they trust me and I take great value and pride in that, that they know I’m always going to be here for them because I want them to enjoy the game but (also) be the best human beings they can be.”
“Jadon’s dad, before he went to Dortmund he asked me ‘Sayce, what do you think about him going to Germany?’, and I said ‘That’s a great shout’. Because as long as he’s playing first-team football, at 17, that’s the biggest thing he can do.
“We saw what he did during his time at Dortmund, his first stint, and now you see him returning to Dortmund and just having a feel for the game again, being supported in a way that maybe he isn’t being supported at Man United, but you’re seeing now how he’s expressing himself on the pitch and he’s playing the game like he loves the game again.
Jadon Sancho emulating his younger self
Sancho’s performances are slowly improving again – which is only a good thing for Manchester United.
If they are to sell, United need to recuperate as much of the hefty fee paid in 2019 for him, and in contrast, if they were to keep him – they want Sancho on top of his game.
Manchester United never really got the talented teenager they paid for. Sancho never really looked like he was enjoying his football at Old Trafford, which was reflected in his performances.
He lost a lot of the individual brilliance and creativity shown at Dortmund when he played in red. Holmes-Lewis also commented on this:
“I think that’s really important that young people who are in those games need to understand ‘why am I playing this game? What is my motivation? Is it the money? Is it the cars? Is it the women? No, it’s not, it’s because I love this game. And yes I’m getting paid for it, but I want to enjoy it at the same time’. And I think that’s what we need to make sure we continue to hone in young people.
“If we’re as a nation looking at producing the best talent and having a generational talent, we need to have street football players,” he says.
“Our favourite players we’ve had have all been street football players. Matthew Le Tissier, Gazza [Paul Gascoigne], [Wayne] Rooney…
“We’re losing that kind of individuality in the game and that freedom of expression, and that’s where we actually get those players from. From those estates, those who are playing on those pitches and expressing themselves on a day-to-day basis.”
Sancho slowly appears to be finding his individuality on the pitch once again. Let’s hope this continues.