Jadon Sancho is once again looking to revive his stagnant form by spending the season on loan with a new club, this time in the form of Aston Villa.
He did the same last summer when he joined Chelsea on loan on deadline day, and whilst he did go on to secure a UEFA Conference League winners’ medal, he didn’t do enough to convince Enzo Maresca that he should be kept at Stamford Bridge long-term.
When his temporary spell expired and Chelsea were expected to fork out his £25 million buy clause, they instead paid Manchester United a £5 million penalty to bypass the obligation entirely, sending Sancho back to Manchester and back to square one.
Jadon Sancho makes deadline-day switch to Villa Park
It took him the entirety of the transfer window this year to seal a move, doing so on the final day after negotiating with Villa to join Unai Emery’s ranks.
There is no buy option or obligation included in the terms. Given his contract is currently due to expire in June 2026, United are said to be planning to activate Sancho’s one-year clause to protect his resale value.
Watching a player they forked out £73m for leave for nothing after making only 83 appearances for the club would truly cement the forward’s status as one of the worst-ever signings.
Is Sancho the worst signing in United history?
Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher were quizzed over the 25-year-old’s lacklustre Red Devils tenure on The Overlap this week and proceeded to echo the same concerns United fans have been voicing throughout his Old Trafford career.
“When you say he’s the worst Man United signing because of his ability… I’m not sure there’s much ability there,” said Carragher
“I think he’s okay but I don’t understand what his thing is. I’ve been critical of Marcus Rashford, but if I picture him playing well, I can picture his pace and shooting.
“I don’t know what Sancho’s thing is. Every player has something but I can’t think in my head what he does. I’ve never seen it in my life. I haven’t.”
Scholes chimed in: “Unai Emery might be good for Sancho, but I do think it’s a weird signing.
“Villa Park is a massive pitch and he’s got a lack of pace and a lack of legs. He’s got some brilliance but what’s his real strength? I don’t really know.”
