From a £73m Man Utd mega signing with the world at his feet to talk of retirement by 28: The sad and sorry decline of Jadon Sancho

“Jadon’s is an unusual story for a young English player,” Gareth Southgate said after calling Sancho up to the England national team squad for the first time in October 2018. “He’s been brave enough to go abroad and play at a big club in front of big support every week — and with the psychological strength to deal with that and excel. That decision to move tells you something about his character and you can see that in the way he plays. He has tremendous belief in himself.”

Indeed, Sancho took a huge risk at just 17 when swapping Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund a year earlier, and his rapid adaptation to life in Germany led many to single him out as a potential generational talent. He would go on to record a combined 114 goals and assists in just 137 appearances in a Dortmund shirt, dazzling in both the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was especially awestruck after watching Sancho torment Tottenham in the first half of a 2019 Champions League round-of-16 tie, as he said while working as a pundit for BT Sport (now known as TNT): “No goals but I’ve seen Jadon Sancho – I’m just happy to be watching. I’ve been up screaming and dancing. An 18-year-old scaring the life out of seasoned Premier League players. I love it. I think he’ll be the best English player in the coming years.”

Ferdinand’s prediction didn’t quite come true, but Sancho did become an England regular, and he secured a blockbuster £73 million ($98m) transfer to United in the summer of 2021, which seemed like the perfect platform for him to unlock his full potential. Unfortunately, though, it didn’t work out that way.

Fast forward to the present day, and Sancho finds himself in purgatory as a free agent, with United having decided against extending his contract after a series of loans. His self-belief seems to have completely eroded, and it remains to be seen if he can rediscover the fire of his younger years.

It’s been sad to watch such an exciting player decline so quickly, and there is a real danger his career could now peter out amid a dearth of interest from top-quality suitors.