Rio Ferdinand Reveals why Jadon Sancho failed at Man United

Rio Ferdinand Reveals why Jadon Sancho failed at Man United

Manchester United’s last act on deadline day was securing a deal for Jadon Sancho to join Chelsea on loan.

The 24-year-old has completed a move to Stamford Bridge in a loan deal which has an obligation to buy next summer.

Easily one of the club’s worst ever transfers, the £73m deal to bring Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford in 2021 has turned out to be nothing short of a disaster.

Hailed as one of Europe’s brightest talents during his time at Borussia Dortmund, Sancho endured an underwhelming debut season at the club and things went from bad to worse under Erik ten Hag.

The England international fell out with the Dutchman, claiming he was a “scapegoat” after being dropped for a match against Arsenal. As it turns out, this was the beginning of the end.

He was loaned back out to Dortmund and he never worked his way back into Ten Hag’s plans on his return this summer. Sancho’s lacklustre goodbye message sums up the sour feeling between the player, fans and club.

Jadon Sancho of Manchester United reacts after failing to convert his penalty in the shootout during the 2024 FA Community Shield match between Ma…

Ultimately, the summer window was a huge success for United with Ineos making their mark and completing a much-needed clearout while bringing in five new additions.

Manuel Ugarte’s late arrival on deadline day brought a smile to United fans and finding a solution to get rid of Sancho – whose exit was confirmed a few hours later – only added to the joy.

United legend Rio Ferdinand has shared his thoughts on the move and suggested why Sancho failed at Old Trafford.

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents channel, he said “I just look at it and think – wow, what went wrong? This is a chapter in his career that I think he will want to forget.

“Let’s go through why we think it didn’t work for him at Manchester United.

“One – I think the playing style of the team, I don’t think, ever suited him. Big transitions, Man United became a transition team and I don’t think that’s the way Jadon Sancho sees or plays football.

“I think when recruiting him, we were recruiting him thinking that our style would evolve into a team that dominates possession. If we would pressure we would pressure high and the team would stay high and play intricate one-two passes.

“He’s more of a footballer. I think the idea that Jadon Sancho was going to come in and dribble from the edge of our box all the way to the other team’s box, like other wingers, that’s not what he has ever been about.

“If you play to his strengths and the team is built to suit him, then I think we would have got a different Jadon Sancho. I don’t think the style ever fit in the end.”

Jadon Sancho had bigger issues
The playing style certainly didn’t suit Sancho, but there were much more deep-rooted issues that meant he would never have succeeded at United.

The decision to publicly call out Ten Hag reflected his poor attitude at the club. Ten Hag had claimed that Sancho had been training poorly and the winger himself admitted to issues with turning up late for training – an issue that also existed during his time at Dortmund.