Rio Ferdinand sends message to Jadon Sancho after being dropped from Manchester United team by Erik ten Hag

Rio Ferdinand admits he is becoming ‘concerned’ by Jadon Sancho’s inability to replicate his Bundesliga form for Manchester United after he was dropped by Erik ten Hag.

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The 22-year-old had started each of United’s previous seven Premier League matches – netting twice but providing zero assists – but was dropped from the starting XI for Sunday’s trip to Goodison Park to face Everton.

Sancho did not even come off the bench in the 2-1 victory and in his absence Antony netted for the third straight league game while Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford both looked lively when picking up the ball on the left.

Ferdinand can’t quite put his finger on why Sancho has not lived up to his £72million price tag but believes he needs to get back to basics and work on improving his goals and assists tally even if it means putting the tricks and skills to one side.

Speaking on his Vibe with FIVE YouTube show, Ferdinand said: ‘I haven’t seen [his Bundesliga form] yet. That’s the concerning thing for me.

‘If I’m Jadon Sancho, or in Jadon Sancho’s camp, I am looking at ways in which I can unpick his game, his mind, to unearth the Sancho that made him a coveted talent around Europe.

‘His numbers in Germany were great, he was doing marvellous things over there, but it hasn’t transferred over to the Premier League yet.

‘And I don’t know why. What is the reason why? Is it because of the way the team set up? Is it because of the pace of the Premier League?

‘Is he getting asked to do more defensively so then he hasn’t got the energy when they’ve got [the ball] in transition?

‘His assists and goal record isn’t great when you compare it to other players in his position.

‘So you allow him that time to adapt to