Former Manchester United midfielder Kieran Richardson has offered his take on Jadon Sancho’s struggles at Old Trafford and offered some advice to the Red Devils winger.
It’s fair to say Sancho’s time at Man Utd has turned into a bit of a nightmare, with the England international now looking likely to leave the club this January, according to Fabrizio Romano in today’s exclusive column for the Daily Briefing.
Still, Sancho looked a superb talent during his time at Borussia Dortmund, and Richardson expects he has perhaps just found the step up from the Bundesliga to playing for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League a bit too much to handle.
Richardson feels, however, that Sancho could do himself a lot of favours by simply ensuring he’s one of the fittest players at United, whilst also noting that, at the age of just 23, he still has more than enough time to turn his career around.
“The good thing Jadon Sancho has going for him is that he’s still so young, and I think people forget that. He’s 23 years old, and he came to Manchester United with that massive price tag on his head,” Richardson exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone.
“Like everyone, I watched him playing out in Germany, doing so well, breezing past three or four players at a time, scoring and assisting goals. But the reality is simple: the German league is just not the Premier League. Defenders are much quicker over here, it’s much more physical, and I think that’s where Jadon has probably struggled a little. He’s realised how much quicker it is. We all know he has the technical ability to be a Manchester United player.
“If I’m Jadon Sancho, I’m going to try and become the fittest guy in my team. When you become the fittest player in your team, it gives you so much more confidence. When I watch him play, he’ll go past someone, but then he doesn’t have that power to keep going, and I think he needs to work on that. Obviously, he might have something going on in his mind at the moment; he’s got a lot going on with the manager, off the field stuff… it’s a hard one for him.
“Is he suited to the Premier League? I think he is; I think he’s shown quality over the last few years. We’ve seen him score goals, go past players, all of those attributes. He just needs a good run in the team; he’s always in and out. Obviously the manager and him have got something going on right now, and it’s a hard one because you really feel like his career is at a bit of a crossroads right now. He does have the quality, though.”