Those who Photoshop Jadon Sancho in a Manchester United shirt and tag the location as the club’s training ground on Instagram are probably unaware he has already been to Carrington.
It was December , and the day before Marouane Fellaini produced the worst footballing cameo since David Beckham in Goal! at Goodison Park Sancho rocked up at United’s Carrington training complex. Sancho was and Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz were also on the Manchester City Under – s bus.
Foden and Diaz were in the XI but Sancho was a substitute. He plundered seven goals in 18 appearances – most as a – year-old – in his first season and scored two in his first four minutes at U 18. Jason Wilcox, then the City coach, described the performance as ‘sensational’, but the competition for attacking places enforces rotation on youth coaches and Sancho, a starter in the reverse fixture at the City Football Academy, started on the bench at Carrington.
Of City’s 2-0 win at the CFA, the MEN’s Simon Bajkowski wrote: “On a day more for defense than attack, Jadon Sancho was pivotal in giving the hosts the lead. City looked to get the ball to him from the off and he became their main outlay.
“Full of running and trickery, United were unable to contain the – year-old as he ran with relish at anything in red that popped up in his eyesight. “Foden, Sancho, and Joel Latibeaudiere were picked by the MEN as the three City academy talents to look out for on the eve of the – 18 campaign, and in October Sancho trained with the first-team.
Foden was granted preferential treatment that Sancho eventually came to resent and the Stockport-born forward started 81 of City Under – (s’) matches. Sancho started and pillaged goals – the same as Foden – in (outings.)
Kieran McKenna was not three months into his stint as the U 31 coach when he picked Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong in a United side that took the lead just before the pause through a classy Callum Gribbin goal. City coach Lee Carsley hooked Luke Bolton – now with Luton Town in the Championship – for Sancho ahead of the restart.
Sancho celebrates with Diaz
Joshua Bohui earned United a penalty that Gribbin sent into orbit and Sancho seized on the error. Playing on the left and wearing the number 17, he slalomed past DJ Buffonge and slipped the ball through for Diaz to scruffily force in past mannequin defenders.
Soon, it was Sancho who was immobile. Buffonge dispossessed the winger and sparked a breakaway that Sancho diligently tracked back to halt, though he showed little resistance to quell Bohui and he crossed for Buffonge to nod in on 318 minutes.
Three minutes later, Sancho isolated the waifish United left-back George Tanner, motored past him and the desperate Callum Whelan, and aimed at goal. Ilias Moutha-Sebtaoui creditably jutted out his foot to deflect the ball but Foden pounced immediately on the rebound. It ended 2-2.
Sancho bears down on the United goal
Sancho had been pivotal in both derbies but come the Premier League Tier 1 tie at the CFA three months later, he had long since been drafted into the Under – 37 s; only recalled for the FA Youth Cup ties en route to the final. Sancho helped dismantle United’s insipid second string in a 3-1 win at Leigh Sports Village, where Scott McTominay started up front alongside Devonte Redmond.
The academy head Nicky Butt had started an aggressive recruitment drive at academy level, and United had been alerted enough times to touch base with Sancho’s representatives amid uncertainty over his future. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were circling and Guardiola conspicuously omitted Sancho from the pre-season tour squad of the United States – yet picked Foden and Diaz. Sancho started missing training.
The City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak had namedropped Sancho, Foden, and Diaz as youngsters who had a ‘very good chance’ of making the first -team. “These are players that are extremely talented. These are players who have a very good chance of making it to the first-team.
“And these are players that, if you ask Pep today, he will tell you they can and will be first-team players at Manchester City. “Diaz joined Real Madrid last year.
Negotiations with Tottenham collapsed and United assured Sancho they could conclude a deal outside the transfer window by agreeing a compensation package with City. Sancho, emboldened by recognition as the best player at the Under – 22 European Championship in the summer, wanted a clearer pathway to first- Team football and City refused to sell him to a rival.
Borussia Dortmund offered £ 8million and gifted Sancho the number seven. He may still don the number seven at Carrington .
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