Does Manchester United really need Jadon Sancho?
Yes, I’m about to write on the most cliche subject ever. The next two words I’m about to type have probably been seen in pretty much every Manchester United article for the past two seasons. Jadon Sancho.
There I typed it. But before you roll your eyes and think to yourself that you know what the rest of the article will be about, I would like to say that instead of reiterating the countless reasons Manchester United should sign Sancho, I have come up with a single reason that they shouldn’t sign Sancho. The reason is Mason Greenwood.
Signing Sancho would be a massive sign of a lack of confidence in Greenwood. It would be like literally saying to Greenwood “you’re a fine player who’s had a great season but just for the sake of pleasing our fans we’ll sign the exact same type of player and break the bank whilst doing so”.
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After the stellar breakout season that Greenwood is having, it makes no sense to not back him to be one of the first names in the starting lineup for future seasons because, on the basis of his form since Project Restart where he has started in their highly entertaining wins against Brighton and Bournemouth, he has been on fire.
He’s been turning defenders inside out and burying chances like Robin Van Persie did before David Moyes arrived and ruined the party[ that’s another rant for another time].
If your the type of person that’s obsessed with stats and like to say “the stats don’t lie”. Then, Greenwood’s stats will have you licking your lips, 26 appearances in the Premier League and 8 goals, a goal every 115 minutes which is less than the 135 minutes per goal that Sancho averages prove that Greenwood from a statistical point of view is the real deal.
Although, Sancho has a significantly more amount of assists than Greenwood. The potential for Greenwood to develop is frightening, he is 2 years younger than Sancho and is in my heavily biased opinion is a better player then Sancho at the same stage of his career.
His eye for goal and that calmness which the top strikers like Ibrahimovic possess is a lot more apparent in Greenwood then Sancho. Furthermore, that two-footedness that Greenwood has is invaluable, it offers an avenue of unpredictability which not many players have.
Also, the connection that Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes has been electrifying and as time goes on, one would expect it rival the Cole-Yorke partnership that once had United fans on the edge of their seat. Signing Jadon Sancho would disrupt that promising partnership and with no guarantee that Sancho would form a similar partnership with Fernandes.
Moreover, dumping Greenwood on the bench which I expect will happen should Sancho sign for United would be a hugely dispiriting signal to all the other players at the Manchester United youth academy and indeed other young, talented players that are interested in signing for the Red Devils, that United have moved on from their culture of nurturing young, local talent.
The likes of Greenwood, Rashford and Brandon Williams are signal-bearers to those in the youth academy that there is a pathway to the first-team. That signal needs to be amplified more than ever with the likes of Angel Gomes rejecting a contract with Man Utd because he has become frustrated at the lack of first-team chances and Jude Bellingham signing for Dortmund because he feels the road to the first-team there is much clearer.
Consigning Greenwood to the bench after he’s done exactly what Solskjaer has wanted to do in matches, be direct and be clinical; would be the ultimate nail to the coffin to the reputation that Manchester United is a youth-producing team and potential mass exodus of young talent which United can not afford.
Now, this whole article wasn’t to say Jadon Sancho isn’t a terrific player and he wouldn’t be a great asset to Manchester United.No, this article simply states that the timing is not correct for Sancho to transfer to United, it could potentially unravel all the good work Man Utd have done in developing a generational talent in Mason Greenwood.
Why take a punt at a player who could be the very best when you know you have the very best, that’s the question Solskajer and Ed Woodward should mull over before they make a move for Sancho.