Manchester United fans will be wondering, where was this Jadon Sancho for us?
On Wednesday night, the 24-year-old starred for Borussia Dortmund after they recorded a 1-0 first-leg semi-final win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Only months ago, the loaned-out winger was left out in the cold by Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, yet fast forward to the present, and he is now one game away from a European Cup final.
Netflix will be preparing a documentary as we speak because Jadon Sancho could produce the greatest night of his career on June 1, and that at the home of football at Wembley.
Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid, Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich and Sancho’s Dortmund all have a chance to get to the final.
At least one will get there, which will guarantee an Englishman having the chance to win silverware at Wembley. It doesn’t happen often!
But Sancho’s performance against PSG, where he cooked their defence from minute one, got many people talking, including Thierry Henry.
The legendary striker, at first, spoke about the player’s past mental health struggles and then his display at the Westfalenstadion, as he told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (01/05/24 at 10:20 pm).
Jadon Sancho helps Borussia Dortmund beat PSG in Champions League
“There is something I will say about Jadon Sancho and we all know that he struggled mentally also at Man United,” said Henry. “The power of the brain and how you can be as a professional. When you aren’t well here (points to his head) or at home. You are going to perform. I don’t care where you are, or who you are, or the talent that you have. You can see that things are a bit better out there, whatever the struggle was with him.
“To do what he did tonight. I think at Man United, he played 48 games and he dribbled past the opponent only 7 times. He did that in the first half only, almost. All I will say is don’t underestimate mental health. It’s not an easy thing to deal with and you can see when someone is well there and he will perform.
“It was an amazing choice to go on loan back there where the light wasn’t going to be too much on him at the very beginning. He needed to go back to some performance and also playing games. Minutes in his legs. You can see, when you have minutes, and the balance is right in your head, then you can perform. What he did today, wow.”
Jadon Sancho’s future at Manchester United
It might not be something on his mind right now because there is the possibility that a Champions League final is on the horizon for the player.
That would be some ending for Sancho given the mess he was in at the start of the campaign at Manchester United.
But the Euro 2024 hopeful, still has to discuss his future and where he ends up next season, which Henry and Micah Richards argued about.
“He stays at Dortmund,” insists Richards. “If he has an opportunity to stay at Dortmund.” And Henry argued, “It depends on what happens at Man United.”
Richards added: “The scrutiny is much bigger at Man United. They are the biggest in English football. I am saying that as an ex-Man City player. The pressure is a lot harder than it is at Dortmund. Bayern Munich is the biggest club in Germany. They are expected to win everything.”
Henry then asked: “He belongs to who now?” To which Kate Abdo responded: “Currently, Manchester United.”
Henry added: “If a new manager comes, I am not saying ten Hag is going to go, and he wants him to stay, then he will stay. I know (Man United have bigger problems). But you keep on forgetting that he belongs at Man United. It will change one day (on issues at Man United). You can’t also refuse that challenge because nobody succeeds there. He was outstanding.”
Ten Hag’s future at Man United is still up in the air and even he probably doesn’t know if he will get sacked at the end of the campaign.
You can probably safely say that if Man United stick by him, then Sancho will push to spend another season at Dortmund and beyond.
But if the Dutchman is booted out, then the England international has surely got to return to Old Trafford and the Premier League to prove people wrong.