Former Manchester United midfielder Gary Neville believes Jadon Sancho could end up like actor Donny van de Beek. The former England international believes the £73 million ($100 million) star does not appear to fit into the club's system.
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on Sunday, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer switching to a 3-5-2 formation after last week's humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool. Sancho was an unused substitute for the second consecutive game as United won their third straight match.
However, while United paid a lot of money to sign the winger from Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window, a club legend has already noticed parallels between his circumstances and that of Van de Beek.
Since joining from Ajax in 2020, the Dutchman has been relegated to a supporting position in Solskjaer's plans, and Neville is concerned that Sancho is already becoming dissatisfied with his own lack of regular minutes.
"I can't help but think of Van de Beek," the former Manchester United captain said following the Spurs' victory over the Red Devils. "Can you tell me who has put their name on him? Someone at Manchester United is funding that £40 million that was spent on that youngster who has been sitting in the stands and not kicking a football for almost 18 months.
When it comes down to it, Sancho is going to end up precisely the same as he did before. He's been a part of some fairly dreadful performances in the previous few [weeks], and it's not even his fault... I'm referring to team performances.
In terms of their play, they've looked absolutely fragmented since he's joined them. At Dortmund, he's been a part of a considerably superior group and unit. He's walked into this room and is probably wondering, 'what the hell am I doing here?' 'What exactly is this?' There is no organization, there is no structure, and the defensive work rate is extremely inadequate.
"When you look at the defensive running metrics of Manchester United's front men, he's actually the only one who comes even close to the top of the table... I believe he is the fifth or sixth best front player among the top four clubs, and he was in the top ten. As a result, he's actually put forth some effort.
And he must be sitting on that bench today thinking, 'what am I doing?', and now he must be thinking, 'what position do I have in that system?' He's probably wondering, 'Where is my career at Manchester United?' because I don't see him in a three in midfield and I don't see him in a two in front of goal
"And Van de Beek is thinking along the same lines as well. "Today has been a good day, but it has caused problems in other parts of the world."
Since the beginning of the season, Sancho has appeared in 11 games for Manchester United in all competitions, with only six of those appearances coming as a starter.
Nuno understands the angst of Tottenham fans following their team's loss to Manchester United.
Aside from that, he has not registered a single goal or assist, indicating that he has lost the clinical edge in the final third that made him one of the most lethal young forwards in Europe during his time at Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
There is still time for Sancho to turn things around, and he will be hoping to earn a recall to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's starting lineup when the Red Devils take on Manchester City in a critical Manchester derby match next weekend.