Manchester United legend Paul Scholes and former Tottenham Hotspur player Tim Sherwood rushed to Jadon Sancho’s defence after the winger experienced a humiliating situation last weekend.
Sancho has experienced a turbulent loan spell at Aston Villa to date, with the club seemingly unsure about keeping him at the club until the end of his loan, let alone longer than that on a permanent deal.
This would be a major blow to Man United, given that the club is believed to be willing to allow Sancho to depart the club in a year’s time, even if United receive no financial compensation.
Unfortunately for United, an embarrassing moment in Villa’s 1-0 win over Manchester City last Sunday could all but signify where Sancho’s fate lies.
Sancho’s early substitution
During the City game, Sancho came on in the 29th minute to replace Emiliano Buendía, who picked up an injury.
In the 74th minute, he was embarrassingly subbed off despite being one of the fresh substitutes who came on earlier in the match.
He then ignored Villa manager Unai Emery’s attempt at a handshake as he left the pitch, signalling his frustration.
Despite this worrying sign, Scholes and Sherwood rallied to his defence.
Defending Sancho
“I like the boy. I think he’s got – I don’t know him as a person – but I think he’s got a lot of ability,” Sherwood explained on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast which Scholes co-hosts.
“I like the boy. I think he’s got – I don’t know him as a person – but I think he’s got a lot of ability.”
“Loads of ability,” Scholes chimed in, expressing his agreement.
Sherwood continued: “He needs to do it on a regular basis. You know, on a consistent basis, and if he does that, I mean, he’s good enough to play, you know, [at an] enormous amount of clubs.”
While Emergy claimed that he was always going to take Sancho off and that it wasn’t a testament to a poor performance, this will still be a worrying sign for United, who are hoping to offload the player.
Even if Scholes and Sherwood’s argument holds weight, it doesn’t make sense for United to hold onto Sancho given how poorly he has fitted into the club’s setup.
Surely, United are better off with the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and other success stories.
Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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