Jadon Sancho seemingly needs some kind of transition or settling in period at Manchester United. He has yet to score in a United shirt, and he hasn’t been the same kind of player for the Red Devils that he was for Borussia Dortmund.
This is a storyline that has gone relatively overlooked due to the all the hype and hoopla surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo. While Ronaldo announced his re-arrival with authority, Sancho is yet to open his account, and thus, he began today’s Premier League fixture at West Ham United on the bench.
? "Give the kid a break."@MicahRichards and Roy Keane discuss Jadon Sancho's slow start to life at Manchester United pic.twitter.com/nYbExV5pGi
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 19, 2021
No. 25 was sat in favor of Mason Greenwood, a forward who is off to a rip roaring start this season. The conversation above, between Micah Richards and Roy Keane, was a pretty accurate assessment of the situation.
Yes, some players need a settling period, while on the other hand, some don’t. Yes, Sancho arrived with massive hype and sky high expectations, given his very pricey transfer fee. And the re-acquisition of Ronaldo kind of stole his thunder somewhat.
Competition for places in the United attack was already fierce, and then it became even more competitive.
Jadon Sancho also has to adjust to a situation where there plenty of other options available, with players as talented and skilled as he is; if not more so. He’s not going to be “the man,” and that is an adjustment that can be more mental than anything.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.