Jadon Sancho, the secret revealed

Sancho had a public row with United boss Erik ten Hag and failed to get back into the Dutchman’s good graces before leaving for Chelsea. McCarthy, who was Ten Hag’s assistant at Old Trafford until this summer, revealed that the England international and his manager did not communicate properly, which led to a breakdown in their relationship. McCarthy also admitted that Sancho often visited London and was always drawn to the culture of the capital.

Speaking on the On The Whistle podcast, McCarthy said:
« [C’est] great boy, great character, fantastic footballer, amazing things he can do. For me, it was a real shame that it didn’t work out for Jadon at United, as I thought he was the type of player who would flourish in a United shirt. But unfortunately, I think the lack of communication and understanding was part of the downside that Sancho didn’t end up working.

“He’s closer to home because he often slipped away to come to London. It was probably because he missed home and just wanted to be a little closer to his family, friends and culture. London culture is pretty strong, so I think maybe Jadon wanted more. That’s why he continued. He was often in London. »

Sancho found peace

“Now he’s closer to home, so I hope he can find that peace, that little bit of magic that he found when he went to Dortmund, and that he gets the love that he deserves from the technical staff, the players. I think he will become a special player again. Because I think everyone who knows Sancho would like him to be at that level, because it’s good for world football. »

Having broken through at Manchester City before making his name at Borussia Dortmund, it always seemed inevitable that Sancho would end up in London at some point in his career. The 24-year-old has recorded three assists in four games so far for Chelsea and appears to have carried his form from the end of last season – when he was on loan to Dortmund – into the 2024-25 campaign.