Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho was substituted at half-time in United’s 3-2 comeback against Omonia in the Europa League.
The striker was named in the starting XI for Erik ten Hag, but his poor showing in the first 45 minutes saw Marcus Rashford replace him at half-time.
Rashford’s introduction into proceedings saw him score a brace to help the Red Devils clinch all three points.
While there were many aspects of Sancho’s game in Cyprus that left much to be desired, the most obvious came in the 34th minute.
United were on the attack when Sancho, who was on the ball, decided to pass it to Tyrell Malacia. Malacia, under pressure, quickly scrambled off the ball. Omonia stepped up to score on the counterattack that followed to draw first blood.
Sancho had options and his decision to pass to Malacia when he could have put the ball in the box or passed it to junior Bruno Fernandes baffled many.
Beyond the move to Malacia, however, what stood out was the lack of urgency in his follow-up to make amends, as reported by The Telegraph’s James Ducker.
Says Ducker: “What was less forgivable was Sancho’s response to seeing Malacia control the ball poorly and lose possession when Omonia broke away in transition.”
“Christian Eriksen, feeling trouble, was already on his bike. sancho? Well, he just dropped his head and started jogging backwards when four players who had started behind him (Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot and Casemiro) overtook him while running backwards hoping to correct the problem.
Sancho’s laziness on display against Omonia in that case follows Paul Scholes’ criticism of the Englishman and Antony for failing to fulfill their defensive responsibilities against Manchester City.
Adds Ducker: “Too often, he [Sancho] he is peripheral to the action, and the stats back it up, with Sancho well down in shooting, touches, dribbling, chances created and assists in his previous four seasons.”
Sancho has a fight on his hands regarding returning to the team, especially after the return of Anthony Martial. He only has left flank position left to fight with Rashford. He must rise to the occasion in order not to risk a reduced role in Erik ten Hag’s plans. 
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