"You can see the fire in his eyes" – Borussia Dortmund sporting director makes claim as Jadon Sancho returns on loan from Manchester United
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has asserted that Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho is elated to join his former team in the winter transfer window.
Sancho, who joined United from Dortmund in a £73 million transfer in 2021, fell out of Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag's good books earlier last September. The 23-year-old publicly called out his manager after the latter ridiculed his poor training outings in a post-match presser.
Since then, the ex-Manchester City youth player has completely been frozen out of his parent club's first-team plans. He secured a short-term temporary move to BVB on Thursday (January 11), as a result.
Following Sancho's signing, Kehl commented (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
"It was not easy to bring Sancho back, it took many days! You can see the fire in his eyes. Jadon is really happy to be able to play football again. We'll do everything we can to get him back to his highest level as quickly as possible."
Sancho, who has made just three appearances for Manchester United this season, has also opened up on his transfer. He said (h/t ESPN):
"When I came into the dressing room today, it felt like 'coming home. I know the club inside and out, I've always been very close with the fans here, and I've never lost contact with those in charge. I can't wait to see my teammates again, go out on the pitch, play football with a smile on my face, prepare goals, score goals and help qualify for the Champions League."
Prior to joining Ten Hag's outfit, Sancho scored 50 goals and provided 64 assists in 137 appearances for Dortmund between 2017 and 2021.
Mark Lawrenson claims Manchester United will not miss AFCON-bound first-team star
Speaking recently to Paddy Power, Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson claimed that Andre Onana will not be missed during his Africa Cup of Nations-induced absence. He said (h/t OneFootball):
"Altay Bayindir can't be any worse than Andre Onana!. The number of mistakes that Onana has made, Manchester United won't be any worse off if he heads of AFCON. Sometimes you have to throw someone in – this is his chance. Hopefully, he'll get some protection, which Onana has never had, but he's been poor anyway."
Onana, who joined United from Inter Milan in a transfer worth up to £47 million last July, has struggled to impress at Old Trafford so far. He has overseen nine shuouts and shipped 45 goals in 29 matches for them.
Altay Bayindir, on the other hand, has failed to make an appearance since leaving Fenerbahce for over £4 million to join Manchester United.