“He just keeps on telling me…” United loanee reveals secret behind resurgence after first goal of the season

Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho has revealed that Unai Emery’s guidance has helped him regain his form at Aston Villa. The English forward left Old Trafford this summer to move to Villa Park on a season-long loan after being deemed surplus to requirements. Sancho initially joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2021 as one of the most exciting young attackers in the world. Such was the player’s rise at Borussia Dortmund that the Premier League giants agreed to pay £73 million for his services, but it was a decision they would soon come to regret. After a mixed start to life at the Theatre of Dreams, Sancho struggled with off-field issues and soon had a fallout with former manager Erik ten Hag. After a brief loan spell at Dortmund, he joined Chelsea on a season-long loan in the summer of 2024, only for the Blues to pay a penalty to opt out of a purchase obligation at the end of the campaign. With United reinforcing their attack last year, the Englishman was no longer part of their plans, and he eventually moved to Aston Villa on another loan deal. Sancho’s record at Villa Park Sancho initially struggled to impress at Villa Park, raising questions about his future at the Birmingham-based club. There were rumours about a possible exit in the middle of the season, with Fenerbahce reportedly interested in his signature. There have been talks about a possible return to Dortmund as well, albeit as a free agent once his contract expires at the end of this season. Meanwhile, acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that United have no desire to reintegrate the player into the squad and will not exercise the one-year extension option in his deal. On Thursday, however, Sancho gave his critics a timely reminder of his ability, scoring his first goal for the Villans in the 1-0 win over Fenerbahce in the Europa League. Jadon Sancho Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesStartsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League112––––305′ UEFA Europa League651–––403′ FA Cup10––––25′ EFL Cup11––––74′ Total1981–––807′ Source: Transfermarkt. Emery has previously maintained that the Englishman can regain his mojo at Villa Park. The player has now outlined how the Spanish manager has been helping him rediscover his form. Emery’s backing has helped Speaking after Thursday’s game, as cited by Birmingham Live, Sancho said: “He (Emery) just keeps on telling me to be positive every time I play. It’s nice to have a manager that backs you and obviously believes in you. Every opportunity I get I’m going to try and do 100 per cent and hopefully I can deliver goals more.” “Obviously the manager and the team are helping me to get to my best. Honestly, I know I can do a lot more. I’m very hard on myself in that aspect. But again I’m very grateful that I got my first goal for Aston Villa and I hope it continues.” Sancho has registered just 12 goals and six assists in 83 games across competitions for United to date. For context, he managed 53 goals and 67 assists from 158 games across his two spells with Borussia Dortmund. Final Thoughts Sancho has been an enigma for United fans, and few would be sad to see him leave. The Red Devils are already preparing to reinforce the squad this summer, so they will also be keen to remove the Englishman’s exorbitant wages from their salary structure. Featured image Eddie Keogh via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.