Three players can help Jadon Sancho flourish at Manchester United

Former striker Louis Saha believes having a stable centre-back partnership and a reliable midfielder in place are key to Jadon Sancho unlocking his potential at Manchester United.

The winger, who celebrated his 23rd birthday last weekend, has struggled to live up to expectations since joining United from German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund in July 2021. He has scored just 10 goals and grabbed four assists in 63 appearances and has struggled to nail down a position in the team and make it his own.

He has operated in a handful of different roles under Erik ten Hag this season, playing on both flanks and through the middle as an attacking-midfielder. Still, however, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what Sancho's best position is and from where Ten Hag sees him influencing games the most.

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Fortunately, Sancho has only just turned 23, meaning he has time on his side to prove himself at Old Trafford and become the player everyone thought United were inheriting when they signed him from Dortmund almost two years ago. But if he is to eventually blossom into a star in M16, Saha believes having a settled centre-back pairing, most probably made up of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, as well as Casemiro operating ahead of them, will be important.

"I believe that he's improving and he's playing with other players that are very confident at the moment," Saha told Betfred. "When you have a solid centre-back pairing and a strong presence in the midfield, such as Casemiro, then it allows the forward players to play with greater confidence.

"I saw an interview with Kylian Mbappe recently and he said he feels very confident when he's playing