Now or never for Sancho to shine at United

ALTHOUGH Jadon Sancho was supposed to finally deliver for United last season, he continued to flatter to deceive instead.

- STEVEN RAILSTON

Sancho was signed from Borussia Dortmund for £72.9million and that fee genuinely seemed like a bargain for a talent ranked high among Europe's most exciting young players. But he's not been able to give a return on that investment.

His blossoming career has stalled and it feels like a case of now or never for him at Old Trafford.

There were excuses for Sancho in his first year in Manchester. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, Ralf Rangnick was hired and the worst season at the club for decades couldn't have ended soon enough.

Sancho contributed five goals and three assists that season and he was rightly given the benefit of the doubt. He hadn't been good enough, but that applied to the majority of the dressing room and Erik ten Hag's arrival provided a clean slate.

United embarked on a pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia last summer and Sancho did well in the friendly matches that were played, looking sharp, hungry and eager to prove a point to those who were beginning to doubt him.

The campaign began with defeats against Brighton and Brentford and supporters braced themselves for another harrowing season, but a string of consecutive victories against Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal followed.