Retired Ghanaian midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng has expressed his belief that Jadon Sancho made a significant mistake by joining Manchester United in 2021.
Sancho’s transfer to United was a lengthy pursuit, with the £73 million deal finally materializing in 2021, marking his return to Manchester after leaving City for Borussia Dortmund in 2017. During his time in the Bundesliga, Sancho showcased remarkable performance, amassing 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games.
However, since joining Manchester United, Sancho has struggled to replicate his previous form and recently found himself excluded from the squad following a dispute with manager Erik ten Hag. The strained relationship suggests a potential exit in January 2024, a disappointing outcome given the initial excitement among United fans.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng shared his perspective on the situation while appearing on Rio Ferdinand’s FIVE show. Boateng emphasized that the information surrounding Sancho has been mostly negative and urged United to resolve the issue. He suggested that the 23-year-old may not be handled correctly.
While acknowledging Sancho’s talent, Boateng also pointed out that he doesn’t seem fully committed in a United shirt and may not be entirely focused on the club. Boateng attributed part of the problem to Sancho being back in England and surrounded by friends, suggesting that his best performances came when he was out of his comfort zone in Germany.
“It looks so bad for the club, for Ten Hag, for Sancho, it just looks really negative,” said Boateng. “You only read negative stuff – he says this, they say that. I think you just need to sit down with the player, tell him honestly what you think, what he has to do, the player says what he has to do and then he leaves or he stays there and gives everything.”
“I don’t think Sancho gives everything, like he’s not there with his head 100%, and I think Manchester United is treating him in the wrong, so you just have to find a solution. I think Sancho is an unbelievable player, so much potential, what he showed in Dortmund… coming back to England didn’t help him because of the environment for sure, he’s got all his buddies out here.”
“Yeah, it’s a comfort zone,” he added when asked if Sancho had made the wrong move by joining United. “He comes here, his friends are around, you know how it is, I was the same! When I came back to Berlin, I had my friends and yeah, football was second. In Dortmund, he didn’t have anyone around, look how he performed – he was flying, because he was just focusing on football, football, football, there were no excuses. Now he has excuses.”
