In the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, Manchester United have spent lots of money on signings who have ultimately not worked out, for whatever reason. In total, the Red Devils are believed to have spent over £1.5b since their legendary manager left the dugout in 2013.
Indeed, not every major singing United have made has been a complete failure. The best example is Bruno Fernandes, who is now the club’s captain. He has scored 79 goals and has registered 64 assists in just 239 games for the club, incredible output and superb value for money, considering they paid just £46.6m initially.
However, some signings have sadly not proven to work out in the end for both United and the player. Perhaps the best example of this is Romelu Lukaku, who signed for United in July 2017. The 42 goals he scored in 96 games for the club may not seem the worst at face value, but given the club spent £75m on the Belgian, the numbers certainly are frustrating.
However, there is one more recent signing who may end up proving to be worse value for money than others, considering the amount United spent on him, and the weekly wage he currently earns.
How much Man Utd have spent on Jadon Sancho
The player in question here is English attacker Jadon Sancho, who joined United with so much expectation that he would become a superstar. Sadly, it did not work out for the 24-year-old, and he is now back at Borussia Dortmund on loan, the club United paid £73m to for Sancho.
Despite being out on loan in Germany for the remainder of the season, Sancho is shockingly still one of the highest earners at United. According to Capology, he earns £190k-per-week, making him the club’s eighth-highest earner. Remarkably, that means he has earned the best part of £20m during his opening two years with the club. In short, it's been terrible business by the old regime.
One of the people who earns more than him is England teammate Marcus Rashford, whose £300k-per-week salary is fewer than just two players. Many United fans dreamed of seeing the duo tear things up on the pitch for the Red Devils, but, sadly, things did not work out that way.
In his 82 games for United, Sancho scored just 12 goals, and registered six assists. Unsurprisingly, given the fact he has played 399 games for the club, Rashford’s tally is much better; he has 131 goals and 64 assists in that time. However, he is having a tough season in 2023/24 and has just eight goals and five assists in all competitions so far. That tally still happens to be better than his fellow countryman who can boast only five goal involvements.
Surprisingly, the duo linked up for a goal just three times in 56 games for United together; at home to Southampton in 2021/22, away to Leicester in 2022/23 and away to Tottenham in the same season.
United could well look to move both Rashford and Sancho on this summer. According to James Ducker of The Telegraph, they are said to be considering moving Rashford on, although David Ornstein says they prefer to keep their number 10 at the club beyond this season. However, Sancho is still one player who could depart Old Trafford in search of pastures anew next season.
How Jadon Sancho could get his career back on track
Despite struggling during his time back in England, there is little doubt that Sancho is a quality player when in form. He has an unbelievably good record at Borussia Dortmund, across both spells at the club. In total, Sancho has 53 goals and 66 assists in 153 games.
During his current loan stint, the 24-year-old has had a decent time of it, registering three goals and two assists. He has also helped his side qualify for the Champions League semi-finals, where they face a showdown against Kylian Mbappe’s PSG.
The general consensus amongst onlookers when discussing Sancho’s profile and attributes is that, instead of playing out wide, he is far more suited as an interior, playing as an advanced eight or number 10, where he would thrive.
The main reason for this is Sancho’s lack of explosive speed, which all of the elite wingers in today’s game possess. Think Rashford, Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Junior. In another era, Sancho may well have suited playing out wide, however, since the game has evolved, his profile certainly suits that of an interior player much more.
Despite the fact Sancho does not possess the explosive nature of a modern winger, he is still an exceptional ball carrier, something which stands out when watching him. According to Fbref, the 24-year-old averages 5.68 progressive carries per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 7% of positionally similar players in Europe, and 2.65 carries into the penalty area per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 10%.
He has a low centre of gravity and superb close control, meaning the ability to slalom in and out of defenders with nimble agility is a real feature of his game. Not only that, Sancho has bags of tricks, skills he honed by playing cage football in the streets of Kennington growing up. He is not afraid to show off those tricks in a professional game, bringing them out at times to help him get past a defender.
Not only is he a tricky dribbler, but Sancho is also a creative player who can craft out openings in the final third for teammates. In fact, he averages 2.38 passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 8% of wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe. He also averages 2.27 key passes per 90 minutes, ranking him in the 80th percentile overall.
Sancho is a player who is superb in combination play with a winger, full-back or midfielder. He is superb at playing in triangles to bypass opponents and shows his high levels of football IQ when playing in and around the penalty box, to work openings for him or a teammate.
The main concern for the forward moving back into midfield is his ability out of possession. The 24-year-old is not the strongest of players, and can sometimes lose physical duels or challenges. However, his 5.3 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, which rank him in the top 15% of wingers and attacking midfielders, mean he is capable off the ball.
There is no doubt that, in the the right system, Sancho could thrive in a central area of the pitch, as an advanced eight or number 10. That said, due to his record in England, the Dortmund loanee simply has to be shown the exit door from OId Trafford by INEOS this summer.
He could still be a shrewd pick-up for a club looking to sign someone with his profile. The winger is a superb carrier, has good creative output and can score goals too. Even if it won't be in Manchester, there is no doubt Sancho still has a big future ahead.
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