JADON SANCHO’S stint at Manchester United failed because the coaching team knew “literally nothing” about him.
That is according to ex-United first-team coach Benni McCarthy, who spent the last two years at Old Trafford working under manager Erik ten Hag.
Sancho, 24, joined the Red Devils in 2021 after a staggering £73million move from Borussia Dortmund, where he thrived for four years but never managed to live up to his billing in Manchester.
The winger ultimately fell out of favour last year after a public spat with Ten Hag, who claimed he left him out of the squad because of his performances in training.
The player responded with a fiery post on social media claiming he was turned into a “scapegoat” amid the team’s turbulent start to the campaign.
The England international refused to backtrack and that led to the Dutch tactician axing him from the first team entirely.
McCarthy, 46, claims the main reason behind Sancho‘s hapless United stint was down to a “lack of communication and understanding” between the forward and the coaching staff.
And that led to Ten Hag as well as his assistants never really getting to know the now Chelsea star as a player.
McCarthy said on the On The Whistle podcast: “Just a bit of communication problems, really, because Sanch is a very quiet guy.
“No one knows literally nothing about Jadon. Jadon comes in, he does his job, he does his work, and then it’s just like, very quiet.
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“[He’s] A great boy, great character, fantastic footballer, unbelievable the things that he can do.
“For me, it was a real shame that it didn’t work out for Jadon at United, because I thought he was the type of player that would flourish in a United shirt.
“But unfortunately, I think lack of communication and understanding, I think was was part of the downside that didn’t end up working with Sanch.”
Sancho returned to Dortmund on loan in January and showed glimpses of his former self as he helped the Bundesliga giants make it to the Champions League final.
The forward returned to United in the summer and reached an uneasy truce with Ten Hag but still couldn’t manage to convince on the pitch and thus joined Chelsea on loan with an obligation to buy.
McCarthy believes Sancho may finally reach his full potential with the Blues, especially after an impressive start under new manager Enzo Maresca, as he is now closer to home.
The South Africa legend suggested the fact the Camberwell native was far from home also contributed to his troubles at Man Utd as he revealed he would often “sneak out” to London.
McCarthy added: “He’s closer to home because he did sneak out to come to London quite a lot.
“So probably the fact that he was missing home, and, just wanted to be a bit closer to family and friends and his culture.
“The London culture is quite strong, so I think Jadon maybe wanted more of that. So that’s why he kept on. He was in London quite a lot.
“Now he is closer to home, so hopefully he can find that peace, he can find that bit of magic that he found when he went to Dortmund, and he gets the love that he deserves from the coaching staff, the players.
“I think he will turn out to be a special player again. Because I think every single one that knows Sancho that would want him to be at that level, because it’s good for world football.”
