On The Ball | Race for Jadon Sancho’s signature may have few runners, but Manchester United lead the way
- Manchester United look set to be favourites to land the England international when the market reopens
- Jadon Sancho is free to join United as Manchester City opted against including a restriction clause in his contract
Borussia Dortmund’s English winger Jadon Sancho is likely to cost more than any other footballer in the close season – whenever that is. The Londoner who turned 20 last week can play on the left or right, has been a success at Dortmund’s football factory where they buy emerging talents, give them plenty of games at a high level in front of the world’s highest average league crowds of 80,000 and then sell them for a vast profit.
“We don’t buy superstars, we make them,” Dortmund’s youth coordinator (and former European Cup winner) Lars Ricken said recently. While Watford (eight years) and Manchester City (two years) might add their voice to contributing to Sancho’s rise, there are numerous players who’ve arrived young at Dortmund, thrived and then moved on for bigger contracts including Robert Lewandowski, Christian Pulisic and Mario Gotze among many others. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, 19, will doubtless follow in two or three years if his current trajectory continues. Before that, Sancho is likely to depart before his contract, extended until 2022, starts to run down and away from Dortmund’s favour.
He’s fast, he controls the ball at speed, he wrong-foots defenders and he was talented enough to knock Christian Pulisic out of the Dortmund team for a while after he arrived from England. He’s been a reason why Dortmund have given Bayern Munich a genuine title challenge after years of the Bavarians running away with the league.
But to where? Manchester United are favourites, interested in the winger who can play on the left, right or as an attacking midfielder. He fits their recruitment profile: young, exciting, experience of playing in England. United need strengthening on the right, where he mainly plays. Sancho is on the list of their number one targets.
Sancho has enjoyed his best season yet, scoring 27 and assisting 19 times for Dortmund in 35 games. The goals and assists have been spread throughout the season – he’s consistent at such a young age and also assisted 19 goals last season.
