With Anthony Martial injured, Manchester United have played Jadon Sancho as a false-nine in pre-season, in an effort to explore whether he could play up-front regularly in the Premier League. Erik ten Hag is ‘encouraged’ by Sancho’s pre-season performances, according to Laurie Whitwell.
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Erik Ten Hag Plays Jadon Sancho Up-Front in New Experiment
Ten Hag Looks to Save Sancho’s Manchester United Career
Since a £73 million move to Old Trafford in July 2021, the winger’s career has stumbled. In his first season at the club, he only managed three goals and three assists in 29 Premier League appearances. In 2022/23 he only improved his tally to six goals and three assists in 26 games, as a result, he experienced lengthy periods on the sidelines behind Antony.
With Anthony Martial still struggling with the hamstring injury that ruled him out of May’s FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City, Ten Hag has opted to put the Englishman up front as a false nine. The hope is that his ball control and technique will allow him to be effective when dropping deep to link up play with the rest of the midfield.
The Red Devils struggled on the attacking end throughout last season, only registering 58 goals in the league last season. This was the lowest of any top-six team, with Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton scoring 10, 17, and 14 more, respectively.
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How Has Sancho Performed Up Front?
After some decent but not outstanding performances in pre-season against Leeds and Lyon, he capitalised on a defensive error against Arsenal to score in an impressive display in New Jersey. After Gabriel’s missed clearance from a long ball that reached the halfway line, Sancho took full advantage of the mistake. Using his impressive pace, he darted into the box before shifting the ball onto his right and smashing it past Aaron Ramsdale into the top right of the net.
The young Englishman’s pressing and hold-up play with his back to goal has looked positive at times this summer, but there’s still a long way for him to go. He may yet face even tougher challenges in his attempts to fight for a starting spot, with Manchester United continuing talks with Atalanta striker Rasmus Holjund. Should he look to fight for a place on the wing, he will need to impress to replace Antony, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax.
Manchester United Willing to Listen to Offers for Jadon Sancho
Despite encouraging performances in pre-season, Jamie Drucker of the Telegraph understands that the Manchester side will consider any offers for Sancho.
However, at just 23 years old and only a couple of seasons after joining from Dortmund, it seems unlikely that senior officials at the club would already be willing to take a significant loss by selling the player so soon. It seems improbable that any top club would be willing to spend a significant fee to take a risk on the player.
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