BORUSSIA DORTMUND boss Lucien Favre believes Jadon Sancho’s links with Manchester United may have contributed to his “slow” start this season.
The England winger, 20, was strongly tipped to join the Red Devils in a British record £108million move.
Lucien Favre believes Jadon Sancho’s slow start to the new season could be to do with summer links to Man UtdCredit: AP:Associated Press
United had a number of offers rebuffed by Dortmund, who stood firm by their valuation.
And a deadline day splurge by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, including two wingers in Facundo Pellistri and Amad Traore, ended any chance of an Old Trafford switch for Sancho – at least this year.
After recording 20 goals and 20 assists in all competitions last term, Sancho has so far tallied just one goal and three assists in the new campaign.
And boss Favre believes United’s public interest has played some role in Sancho’s unspectacular start to the season.
Favre said: “Every player has slow periods.
“There was a lot of talk about Jadon in the summer, something like that can also have an influence.
“But no player is consistently in top form for a year, that’s impossible. You have to accept that.”
Earlier this month, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke branded United’s Sancho interest ‘misjudged’.
He explained: “[They] misjudged the situation. We would be more willing to compromise.
“We had a clear line and will continue to do so next summer.
“In this industry, you can never say that a player is completely unsellable.
“I heard and read everywhere in the spring that Sancho was gone. But he’s here.
“We had an agreement with him and it didn’t look like that.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk