Do Manchester United already have a Jadon Sancho problem?

By Oscar Maung-Haley

We’ll caveat this piece from the off.

Jadon Sancho is very good at football. This is not an incendiary story baiting people into a reaction.

It’s a piece about planning transfers and using players in their best positions.

Sancho’s start to life at Old Trafford has been fairly tame.

And while he remains an immensely talented player, there doesn’t seem to be an immediate place for the England winger to find his feet in Manchester.

It leads us to ask…do Manchester United already have a Jadon Sancho problem?

Round peg, square hole

Anyone who has watched a minute of Sancho’s Dortmund highlight reel can see he’s a player of supreme ability.

Primarily stationed on the right hand side, his dazzling ability on the ball prompted the United hierarchy to sanction a deal thought to be in the region of £73m.

However, since his arrival at Old Trafford, the 21-year-old has yet to finish a Premier League game, or even register a contribution, be that goals or assists.

During his short tenure at Manchester United, he has operated almost exclusively on the left-hand side.

While I’m sure Sancho is more than capable of playing there, it seems odd to have spent so much money on a forward, to then play him out of position, no?

So why can't Sancho nail down a starting berth?

The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, coupled with the stellar form of Mason Greenwood have meant Sancho almost feels like a bad smell so far.

Dubbed the most natural finisher at the club by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (before Ronaldo’s arrival…), Greenwood has hit the ground running this season, scoring three goals in the opening five Premier League games.

Ronaldo, likewise, has netted three times in the Premier League.

With Ronaldo starting through the middle, and Greenwood in such good form on the right, Solskjaer can’t start Sancho in his favoured position – causing his own performances to suffer.

He is, right now, a round peg in a square hole – Manchester United have no idea how to use him.

The need for balance

Personally, I’d love to see Manchester United field a line-up consisting of Ronaldo, Greenwood, Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford when the latter is fit.

The issue is this isn’t a game of FIFA.

Putting all those players in the same line-up just wouldn’t work. There is almost zero cohesion there and it could be a case of having too many cooks in the kitchen at once.

This season, Solskjaer has opted to field Paul Pogba on the left on occasion, partnering the renowned McFred (Scott McTominay and Fred) together in midfield.

If Solskjaer doesn’t trust Pogba in a two, then he could continue to field him on the left…but then where does that leave Sancho?

Again, there’s too many mouths to feed.

Sure, it’s wonderful to have options, but a £73m Rolls Royce sitting on the bench? That’s a bit too far.

No longer a leading man

As stated in the intro, Sancho is a wonderful footballer.

If anything, his time at Dortmund showed he could be the perfect Robin to Erling Haaland’s Batman.

However, here at Manchester United, he’s neither Batman, or Robin…or even Alfred.

He is a peripheral figure, sitting behind the likes of Ronaldo, Fernandes, Pogba and even Greenwood currently.

Time will tell if he’ll adapt and he could just need some time to settle in a new league – there’s a lot to be said about playing in a new league after an intense summer.

But the warning signs are there – right now, Manchester United look like they have no idea how to use a winger bursting with bags of pace, skill and goals.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve wasted a lot of money on a player who they have no idea how to use would it…

PHOTO CREDITS: GETTY IMAGES