RIO FERDINAND wants “to know what happened” with Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag after witnessing the ace’s superb display last night.
The 24-year-old was in top form to help Borussia Dortmund beat PSG 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Sancho was a constant threat to the French side’s defence and looked completely different from his time at Old Trafford.
Back in September he was outcasted at United after a stand-off with Ten Hag after he was left out of the squad for the 3-1 loss at Arsenal.
The boss said his training was not up to standard when quizzed on his absence afterwards, but Sancho posted on social media in response to deny that – resulting in a huge row and him being banned from first-team training.
That led to him returning to Dortmund in January on loan for the remainder of the campaign and while his old team-mates continue to struggle, he is now on the cusp of reaching the Champions League final.
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Ex-United stars Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves were covering yesterday’s match for TNT Sports and both agreed that the England international looked to be back to his best.
And Ferdinand said: “I want to know what happened at Man United. Why didn’t it go well there?
‘Is it game time or did he not apply himself properly at Manchester United? Was he disheartened because he wasn’t getting game time?
“Was it the size of the club, the weight of the shirt? Is it the club? Is it the manager’s fault for not getting the best out of him.”
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Hargreaves responded: “It’s everything in there, it’s all of those things. It’s environment.
“[Tonight] I knew from the first touch he was going to have a game like that, because he had a bit of swagger, didn’t he?
“And that’s, I think that’s when Jadon’s at his best, he has a bit of swagger. At United, he went safe and played back to the full-back, didn’t he?”
Ferdinand added: “That’s what the frustration used to be at Man United. He’s not doing that.
“The physicality of the Premier League is that, was that an issue? I don’t know.
“But there’s so many different things that you look at and go, What could it be? Only Jadon can tell us that.
“But at the same time as well, you look at the way that he played in the Champions League semi final, you can’t devalue that.”
Sancho left Dortmund after a brilliant four-year spell in 2021 for United in a £73m move.
However, he has struggled and scored just 12 goals in 82 appearances for the Red Devils.
It remains to be seen whether Sancho’s will return to Old Trafford or join permanently at the end of the season.
And when asked about going back to United, he said: “I really don’t know.
“I’m focused on the present right now.
“I came here at 17 and they gave me the opportunity to play. I’m delighted with all the staff and players who have welcomed me back.
“You can see and feel the yellow wall, you just can’t wait to play.
“It’s not over and hopefully we can get the job done in Paris.”
Sancho’s drop in form also led to him losing his place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
He won the last of his 23 Three Lions caps against Andorra in October 2021.
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But he admitted he is still desperate to gatecrash the Euros this summer, saying: “Definitely.
“I take it game by game. Performances like today, I hope it carries on.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
