The Red Devils flop made a bright start to life at Stamford Bridge, but has taken his eye off the ball since the turn of the year
“I enjoy his style of play. The wingers when they get on the ball, he loves them to go one versus one and be direct,” Jadon Sancho told Chelsea’s official website when asked why he wanted to play under Enzo Maresca, after sealing a summer move to Stamford Bridge from Manchester United. “We play a lot of one-twos with the 10s and the striker combination plays. It’s very attractive and it’s a style that I play.”
You could certainly sense that enjoyment in Sancho’s first three games for Chelsea. He registered an assist in each of them and attacked his marker at every opportunity, exuding confidence that had been entirely absent during his miserable spell at Old Trafford.
Despite intense competition for minutes out wide, Sancho soon became a fixture in Maresca’s starting XI as Chelsea emerged as surprise early contenders for the Premier League title. Everything was looking rosy again for a player who was once heralded as one of the brightest talents of his generation.
But as has so often been the case with Sancho, he has been unable to build on it. The 24-year-old has reverted to the exasperating misfit he was at United, and is starting to hinder Chelsea in much the same way. The big difference now, though, is that Sancho’s Premier League career will be at serious risk if he doesn’t wake up – and fast.