Jadon Sancho scored his first goal for Manchester United on Tuesday, November 23, against Villarreal a few days after the exit of coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Recall that Jadon Sancho joined Manchester United on July 23, 2021, for a transfer fee worth €85 million. Before he arrived at Old Trafford, he was so good at Borussia Dortmund that most top clubs in Europe wanted his signature.
It took Manchester United two different transfer windows before they were able to convince Dortmund to allow him to move to the Premier League side.
Before he signed for United, Jadon Sancho scored a whopping 50 goals and provided 64 assists in 137 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions.
However, when the 21-year-old English winger joined United, he became a total shadow of his former self. Sacked coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave him a series of chances to play but he was not able to score nor provide an assist until the coach was sacked last weekend.
Under Solskjaer’s era, Jadon Sancho played 14 times in all competitions including 9 times in the Premier League and 4 times in the Champions League. In most of the games, Solskjaer was always criticized for playing the English star out of position.
But on Tuesday, November 24, the caretaker coach of Manchester United, Michael Carrick deployed him in his natural position which is right-wing.
He was so explosive that he made four tackles which were the highest tackles made by a single player throughout the game. Jadon Sancho moved with the ball confidently like his days at Dortmund.
He played the UEFA Champions League game against Villarreal with flair and did a lot of direct running which always put the opponents off balance.
To show how prolific he was, the England international made 11 passes in the final third and all the passes were accurate, making him one of the most exciting players to watch during the Champions League game.
After consistent pressure on the defense of Villarreal, Jadon Sancho got his goal in the 90th minute, 12 minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opener for the Premier League side.
On Repeat! @Sanchooo10 😍❤🙏 pic.twitter.com/UK7pkme26q
— Donny Fernandes (@itsyourboydon) November 23, 2021
“I was so pleased for Jadon,” Carrick said after the 2:0 victory over Villarreal. “I thought he worked his socks off tonight, I thought he gave everything tonight.
“At times, it wasn’t always with the ball and I know how much he enjoys the ball at his feet and trying to make things happen. He showed a different side tonight and, to get his goal at the end, pretty much capped it off perfectly for him and us…it was a big night for him.”
🗣"It will give him a massive boost it was a big goal for him."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 24, 2021
Michael Carrick is impressed and delighted with Jadon Sancho's goal and performance yesterday pic.twitter.com/bG07z2vHSF
Jadon Sancho’s contract with Manchester United will expire on June 30, 2026. He made his debut for England national team on October 12, 2018, and has scored 3 goals in 23 games for the national team.
His goal and that of Ronaldo against Villarreal on Tuesday, helped Manchester United to make it to the Champions League round of 16. Their last group game is against Young Boys on December 8.
We got a decent player here😎🇾🇪 @Sanchooo10 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/OVi660GryU
— UnitedFillip🔰🇳🇴 (@UnitedFillip) November 23, 2021
