Aditya Bose
Jadon Sancho’s pledge broken since Manchester United signed Ronaldo back in 2021
According to The Athletic (h/t The Sun), Jadon Sancho was offered the No. 7 jersey by Manchester United in exchange for his transfer from Borussia Dortmund. But, when Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined the club, he was immediately given the No.7 jersey by Edison Cavani.
Initially, it was decided that Sancho would be given the prestigious number 7, but later the club changed their verdict and gave it to Ronaldo. This shows doubts regarding the quality of care Sancho received from United after returning from the UK.
The club should have thought after signing Sancho for £73million which is a huge amount, that the preference for the shirt number to be given to him rather than giving it to Ronaldo.
Jadon Sancho has a tough phase going on with Manchester United-
He scored 9 goals and provided 6 assists in 58 Premier League games over the course of two seasons. In 104 games in the Bundesliga, he scored 38 goals and provided 51 assists. When we compare to both these leagues it shows how difficult the Premier League has been for Sancho.
Sancho was widely seen as having a positive mentality, being physically fit, and being open to receiving coaching on technical areas of his game. However, his debut season was marred by Solskjaer’s dismissal in November 2021.
Before the season ended, Sancho played in 25 games, including the FA Cup final loss to Manchester City. But Ten Hag was unhappy with his performance that day at Wembley, and in the 78th, he switched him out for Wout Weghorst.
What United did with Sancho was certainly not right but there’s a weightage that the jersey holds. Ronaldo’s legacy is attached to that jersey and living up to those expectations are very difficult for any player.
Now, we should be able to determine in due course of time whether or not the club’s choice to withhold that decision was worthwhile.
