Manchester United ignored Pep Guardiola's warning about Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho has joined Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United after falling out of favour at Old Trafford, with the England international's career having taken a downward spiral since joining the Red Devils

Pep Guardiola's warning about Jadon Sancho's mindset was ignored when Manchester United secured the winger's services in 2021.

Sancho emerged through the Manchester City youth system in 2017 under the Spaniard's guidance, but the 25-year-old never managed to make a senior appearance for the Citizens before being transferred to Borussia Dortmund in a deal valued at around £8million. When asked in 2019 about why Sancho was sold rather than utilised by Guardiola, the 54-year-old said: "I don't know.

"He didn't want to take this challenge [to fight his way into the first team], this opportunity to discover if he was able to. He decided to go there. So, it's perfect. It's going well and congratulations on what he is doing.

"He is doing an incredible performance. He did it incredibly well this season. What would have happened this season [at City]? I don't know. Again, with the players, it depends on them and what they do on the pitch."

While Guardiola was overjoyed to see Sancho enjoying success in the Bundesliga, his comments concerning the winger's determination to compete for his position may have raised concerns among managers. Sancho's record of 50 goals and 64 assists across 137 appearances for Die Schwarzgelben between 2017 and 2021 proved enticing enough for United to secure his signature in a £73m transfer following an extended pursuit.

However, his spell with the Red Devils in the years that have followed have been anything but straightforward. Across his first two seasons at Old Trafford, Sancho netted just nine Premier League goals in 55 appearances, before returning to Dortmund following a disagreement with Erik ten Hag regarding his performances in training.

After United's 3-1 defeat by Arsenal in September 2023 – a match Sancho wasn't included in the travelling squad for – Ten Hag said: "Jadon, on his performances in training we did not select him. You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line. So for this game he was not selected."

Sancho, however, was swift to respond to his manager's remarks, alleging he was being made a "scapegoat." He wrote on social media: "Please don't believe everything you read.

"I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter which I won't go into, I've been a scapegoat for a long time, which isn't fair!

"All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to the team. I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and grateful to do so, which I know every week is a challenge. I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!"

After his brief return to Dortmund, Sancho returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2024, where he resolved his differences with Ten Hag. However, his stint at Old Trafford was short-lived, as he moved to Chelsea on a season-long loan with a £25m obligation to buy based on performances.

Despite a somewhat successful spell with Chelsea, the board decided against exercising their mandatory purchase option, instead paying a £5m penalty to see Sancho return to the north west under new manager Ruben Amorim. Yet again, his time at Old Trafford was cut short when the Portuguese coach deemed him unnecessary for his plans.

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