Jadon Sancho ‘is lacking a natural lightness’ and is NOT ‘in top shape’ say Borussia Dortmund, with club bosses baffled by his dip in form following Manchester United’s summer interest
- Manchester United’s pursuit of winger Jadon Sancho dragged on all summer
- Borussia Dortmund held firm despite United’s heavy interest in their star player
- Following United’s interest, Sancho has been in poor form for his club
- He has yet to score in the Bundesliga this season while creating just two goals
Borussia Dortmund‘s hierarchy appear very concerned over Jadon Sancho‘s dip in form this season following Manchester United‘s failed pursuit of the winger.
The England international netted 17 goals and produced 16 assists last season in the Bundesliga, but so far this term Sancho has failed to find the net and has only created two goals for his Dortmund team-mates.
Sancho proved to be rather ineffective as Dortmund were beaten 3-2 by title rivals Bayern Munich on Saturday, and after the game sporting director Michael Zorc insisted something is missing.
England international Jadon Sancho has endured a tough time of late for Borussia Dortmund
‘He has had better and more efficient games,’ Zorc said in an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten in the wake of the weekend defeat.
‘He’s lacking a bit of natural lightness at the moment. Of course we speak to him, but it’s not something you can rediscover just by talking.’
United were in extremely hot pursuit of Sancho all summer but Dortmund stood firm, holding out for a substantial £108million.
United failed to stump up the required cash for Sancho – who has a contract at Dortmund until 2023 – with their highest offer reported to have been £92m, but his form for the German side since has alarmed them.
And Dortmund boss Lucien Favre also had his say on Sancho’s worrying form on the pitch – claiming he is not in the best shape at present.
After the defeat to Bayern, Michael Zorc said Sancho was ‘lacking a bit of natural lightness’
Dortmund boss Lucien Favre claimed his England winger isn’t in ‘top shape’ at present
Favre added: ‘You can’t be in top shape for a year. If it’s not 100 per cent for a month, we have to accept that.’
Sancho’s last goal for Dortmund came before the coronavirus pandemic stopped football in its tracks.
The 20-year-old winger, a former Watford and Man City youth product, last netted for the German outfit in the 1-0 victory against Freiburg at the end of February in front of 81,365 fans inside the Westfalenstadion.
Since that goal, his name has been in the headlines for off-the-pitch reasons following United’s pursuit which dragged on all summer.
Manchester United’s pursuit of Sancho dragged on all summer but a move failed to materialise
Sancho was then in hot water with England after he flouted coronavirus rules alongside team-mates Ben Chilwell and Tammy Abraham just days before the Three Lions took on Wales last month.
They all gathered at a 23rd birthday party for Abraham that exceeded the Government’s ‘rule of six’ last month before the Wales friendly.
Meanwhile in June, Sancho was slapped with a fine after breaking coronavirus lockdown protocols to get a hair cut, before he later described the punishment as an ‘absolute joke’.
Sancho and his Dortmund team-mate Manuel Akanji were fined after photos emerged of them having a trim in their own respective homes, with neither the players nor the celebrity hairdresser wearing any personal protective equipment (PPE) in the pictures.
The England winger broke coronavirus protocols in Germany by getting a trim at home
Earlier this month, United were given hope over their long-standing interest in Sancho after Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke revealed there is a ‘limit’ on how long the Bundesliga side can resist the Red Devils’ pursuit.
‘We could have made a big, valuable transfer in the summer, that’s well known. But we’re glad it didn’t come to this,’ Watzke told Sport Bild.
‘Of course, we will also implement transfers again in the future, because Covid is clearly throwing us back. Even the biggest clubs are feeling the effects of the pandemic, be it Bayern, Barcelona or Real Madrid.
‘At some point you come to the limit of what you can answer for. You can even see that in Munich right now with David Alaba as an example.’
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