Bruno Fernandes and John Terry react to Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho's UCL performance
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Chelsea icon John Terry were very impressed by Jadon Sancho's performance for Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. The Bundesliga club advanced to the final with a 2-0 aggregate win.
The 24-year-old forward's performance was one of the best on the pitch in the first leg on May 1 at Signal Iduna Park. He was regularly involved from the right flank with his dribbling and passing, winning more duels and endangering the visitors' final third with a row of key passes.
Sancho won the most duels (13) and take-ons (12) and created the most chances (3) in the match. The match ended a 1-0 win for the home side.
In the second leg on Tuesday, May 7 the Englishman pulled off another stunning performance at the Parc des Princes with his accurate passes and ball control. Following the win against the Ligue 1 table-toppers, Jadon Sancho posted pictures of himself and the team on his Instagram with the caption:
"Champions League Final! Wow wow wow, Unbelievable! @bvb09 🖤💛 WEMBLEY HERE WE COME! 🔥"
Bruno Fernandes and John Terry responded to the post with the clapping hands and fist bump emojis in the comments section.
Jadon Sancho started his senior career as part of the reserve team of Dortmund for a year before featuring for the first team in 2017. He then made the move to Manchester United in 2021 for a reported fee of £73 million.
Following a dispute with manager Erik ten Hag in 2023, Sancho returned to his former club in January on loan for the rest of the 2023–24 season.
Jadon Sancho emulates Lionel Messi feat in first leg of UCL semi-final
Although he did not make any goal contributions in the first leg of the semi-finals against Paris Saint-Germain,
Jadon Sancho became the first Englishman to complete at least 12 tackles in a Champions League clash. He is also the first player to do so in the semis since Lionel Messi registered 16 tackles against Manchester United in 2008.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was highly impressed with Sancho's performance and said (via Manchester Evening News):
"I am not really one for stats but I have got a good one here. In 45 minutes, Jadon Sancho has completed more dribbles [seven] than he did in any of his 58 appearances for Man United. That is a man with confidence."
While Borussia Dortmund confirmed their trip to Wembley Stadium on June 1, the other two semi-finalists are Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will clash on May 8 for the second leg of their tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.