Hans-Joachim Watzke has dismissed concerns that managing returning winger Jadon Sancho would be a challenge. The English international, he has maintained, has no discipline problems.
Jadon Sancho made headlines earlier this week when he made a sensational homecoming for Borussia Dortmund. He returned to Signal Iduna Park on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season.
The deal comes full circle for Sancho, returning him to the club where he rose to prominence as one of Europe’s most promising young players from 2017 to 2021.
Disagreement with manager Erik ten Hag made it difficult for the 23-year-old to get game time with the first team at Old Trafford this year. After a difficult start to the season, the club expelled the attacker from the first team after he accused the Dutchman of trying to make him a scapegoat.
The player came off the bench to help the black and yellow in the Bundesliga match against Darmstadt on Saturday night, marking his return to the field. He made an immediate impact by assisting on a goal.
For the Englishman it was his first competitive participation since August. When Sancho first played for the Bundesliga giants, he scored 50 goals and assisted another 64. After two and a half disastrous years at United, he will now look to regain his form.
What did the general director of Borussia Dortmund say about Sancho?
Sancho’s so-called attitude and discipline problems have been widely reported by the English media in recent weeks. However, Hans-Joachim Watzke has since refuted his claims.
“Jadon doesn’t have any discipline problems, I don’t know who said that,” said the Borussia general director.
“Jadon only has one problem: he is late from time to time. His internal clock is not as well developed. He is a very nice boy, but from time to time he is late. But you have to accept that. Why are you going to the stadium? We don’t go there because everyone always arrives on time. I care how he plays with the ball.”
Will United live to regret Sancho?
Watzke still believes in Sancho’s abilities and Dortmund would love to be able to return to his best level next season. In this way they could compete for a place in the UEFA Champions League for next season. With three points separating them from the top four in the Bundesliga, they now find themselves in fifth position.
Although he has been out for four months, United will never understand how they managed to get one of the most promising young players in Europe. Only to lose him, after he and his boss got into an argument over an inappropriate training session and an online post.
Next you will wonder how one of Manchester United’s most talked-about acquisitions in recent times ends up changing in an academy locker room. The most important thing, respecting safety regulations, with the door closed.
These issues become much more important. In particular, the Red Devils hierarchy should have got Jadon Sancho right. However, it was difficult for the winger to adapt. Neither he nor his teammates had scored in 14 games until Solskjaer was fired in November 2021.
Sancho’s lack of clarity about his optimal position made his adaptation difficult. To try and stop United’s decline, Solskjaer changed tactics and moved to a back three. In training, it was even said that the Englishman had been used as a right back.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Student.
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