Ten Hag at fault for failing to ‘get the best’ out of ‘absolute difference-maker’ Sancho at Man Utd

Former Borussia Dortmund scout Sven Mislintat feels Erik ten Hag is at fault for not being “able to get the best” out of “absolute difference-maker” Jadon Sancho at Manchester United.

Sancho’s two full seasons at Old Trafford did not bear a lot of fruit. In his first term, the winger scored five goals and provided three assists.

The following season, that tally rose slightly to seven goals and three assists, before he hardly played a minute this campaign due to a falling out with Ten Hag that led to the winger being loaned back to Dortmund in January.

That his production was not fantastic for United came as a surprise to former Dortmund scout Mislintat, who worked on bringing him to the club the first time around, and felt the winger was a fantastic asset.

“Jadon Sancho was the last transfer that Michael Zorc [ex-Dortmund sporting director] and I worked on together,” Mislintat told Sky Germany.

“On one hand, he’s a sensational guy and has a good heart, and on the other, he’s an absolute difference-maker in the Bundesliga.”

Indeed, Mislintat feels Ten Hag should have been able to get more out of Sancho than he could.

“If you get the chance to sign a player like that and your budget allows it, it’s a no-brainer. I’m a bit negatively surprised that Erik ten Hag wasn’t able to get the best out of him, because Manchester United would have benefited from this quality,” Mislintat added.

Indeed, there’s clearly a very good player in Sancho, highlighted by 50 goals and 66 assists at Dortmund over the course of 139 games.

That includes two assists in his first three games since returning from United. That might be due to the weight of being a Red Devil having been lifted off his shoulders.

However, it could also be that his game is simply better suited to playing in the Bundesliga. There are players who’ve come to England and struggled before, so it’s not as if Sancho is the only one.

That said, he was a phenomenal asset before heading to Old Trafford, and they should surely have been able to eke a little bit more than they did out of him.

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