Jadon Sancho: The rare English whizkid who thrived on foreign soil
Who is a trickster? Someone who has mastered the art of deception and flummoxes the audience with jaw-dropping skills is a trickster. In the footballing community, that term is used to reference a pacy winger who can break ankles with his electrifying speed and wreak havoc in the opposition defence. Based on these terms, Jadon Sancho is a perfect example of a trickster.
Jadon Malik Sancho, born in London, began his playing career in Watford. After a few years, he was acquired by Manchester City and immediately was placed in their academy for further development. He impressed one and all during his time with the Cityzens, with even the club owner praising his talent. However, in 2017, his contract issues remained unresolved due to no guarantee of first-team football. The teenager thus called time on his stint at the Etihad and moved to Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of £8 million.
Life at Dortmund
His first season at BVB was not one that lit up the world, with the young player needing time to settle into the squad. He scored one and set up a few goals in what was a bad season for the whole club. The entry of new manager Lucien Favre, however, seemed to create a serious upturn in fortunes for Sancho. The Swiss coach favours and promotes youth development and seeing great potential in the Englishman, he decided to keep his faith in Sancho.
The 2018-19 season was the one where he proved his worth and ability to the entire world. Dazzling the globe with his feet, he was lethal in attack with raw pace and crossing ability combined with a decent taste for goal. He chipped in with 12 goals and 14 assists in the Bundesliga, with only Eden Hazard having more assists than the wonderkid across the top five leagues.
He was vital to his team mounting a title challenge against the mighty Bayern and producing entertaining football constantly. His impressive season landed him a place in the Bundesliga team of the season and more importantly a national call-up for the Three Lions. He was also in sublime form in the recently held German Super Cup tie against their Bavarian rivals as he scored a goal and set up a brilliant assist to guide his team to the trophy.
Usually deployed in a right-wing position in a 4-2-3-1 formation, a key trait of Sancho is his versatility to play in almost every role in the upper half of the formation. He generally likes to cut outside the defender, run to the byline and deliver in crosses, but he is also capable of stepping inside to have a go at the goal.
Favre has used him on the left flank and in attacking midfield as well and to great effect. With the addition of Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt, Sancho's adaptability turns into a great asset. Together with a really exciting plethora of attacking talent, Sancho can be expected to wreak havoc on the opposition's defence.
A gem for the Three Lions
Sancho has represented England across several age levels, with the pinnacle of his career in the national jersey coming in the form of the Under-17 European Championship. In a campaign they lost in the final, he was named Player of the Tournament.
Sancho was later included in the England Under-17 squad for the group stages of the U-17 World Cup 2017. He was later called up to the Under-19 squad as well for a while. His impressive season at the club level created a window of opportunity for him to play for the senior team. He made his debut for England in the UEFA Nations League.
Given the talent at the disposal of Gareth Southgate, it might be difficult for Sancho to become a mainstay in the international scene immediately. However, his flair and the ability to run at the opposition should work in his favour. He could fill in his favoured right-wing position alongside Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling, forming the front three for the Three Lions.
Sancho's success outside of England is an example to follow for any English footballer weighing up his options on foreign soil. He is for sure one player who is expected to achieve far greater heights, and still a teenager, Sancho has what it takes to live up to the hype around him.