Manchester United are making sure Jadon Sancho proves Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was right

Gareth Southgate said what everyone was thinking about Jadon Sancho in September. Southgate had picked Sancho for his England squad, but he admitted that his performances for Manchester United 'probably' weren't good enough to warrant selection.

After moving to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund for £72.9million a few months before that Southgate interview, Sancho failed to show why United were so persistent in their pursuit of his signature. United pushed hard to sign the winger in 2017 after learning that he was unsettled at Man City, and they also tried to sign him in 2020 before talks with Dortmund collapsed.

Sancho spent another year developing in the Bundesliga and United returned to the table in 2021 for talks. Dortmund conveniently needed to raise capital after being affected by the pandemic and finally a deal was agreed, putting an end to the long transfer saga.

ALSO READ: Ten Hag knows Varane can't give Man United what they want.

The move was four years in the making and that meant high expectations for Sancho in his first season in the Premier League. Sancho had contributed 50 goals and 64 assists in 135 appearances for Dortmund and he had established himself as one of Europe's most exciting prospects. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer urged fans to have patience with Sancho, but predicted he would reach the top.

By September, just two months after the move, Southgate was public admitting the player's United displays weren't good enough. Sancho had met adversity for the first time in his senior career in the opening weeks of the season and he seemed a shadow of himself.

Although Solskjaer was tactically flawed, his man-management skills could never be questioned and he rejected Southgate's comments about Sancho. "Was that