Southgate not surprised by Sancho's struggles in the Premier League
Stefan Bienkowski
- 1 Oct 2021 09:25 BST
- 7 min read
England manager Gareth Southgate has suggested that Jadon Sancho’s slow start to life at Manchester United is due to him needing to adapt to the higher demands of the Premier League.
Sancho made the move to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund in the summer for a substantial fee of €85 million.
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However, despite bagging 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games for the Bundesliga side, Sancho has struggled upon his return to England.
So far this season the winger has failed to pick up a single goal or assists in eight games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
And despite making his most recent England squad for the forthcoming international qualifiers, Southgate was quick to underline why Sancho wasn’t having an easy time of it in the Premier League.
'He's not going to get those numbers in the Premier League'
“With Jadon, I’m not surprised,” said the England manager at a press conference on Thursday.
“The Bundesliga is totally different, Dortmund is a big club but Manchester United is one of the biggest in the world.
“There’s some adaptation to that, there’s a definite adaptation to the league, you’re not going to get the goals and assists numbers anywhere near in our league, that you are in the Bundesliga.
“There are some very good teams but also it’s a good league for young players to develop in because there are some teams that aren’t at that level. Our league, every game is intense and tough and he’s probably just starting to realise that.”
Southgate’s assessment of Sancho was made all the starker when he openly admitted that the player’s form at Old Trafford probably didn’t warrant him a spot in the current England squad, despite calling him up.
“Does he deserve to be in on these performances over the last few weeks? Well probably not,” Southgate added. “But I think we feel we have invested in Jadon over a period of time, we believe he can get to a high level.
“I would like some time with him to chat with him and help that process that’s going on at Manchester United as well and I think for him to feel that we have belief in him at this point is a good message.”
