Jadon Sancho has hit the ground running back at Borussia Dortmund, registering an assist just minutes after his return to the Bundesliga side. The moment of brilliance was also the perfect response to one Darmstadt supporter who had heckled him earlier in the match.
Sancho has not played professionally since August after he was frozen out of the Manchester United team following a public fallout with Erik ten Hag. The winger claimed he had been made a ‘scapegoat’ at the club after his levels in training were questioned, before he refused to apologise for his outburst.
The standoff prompted the Red Devils to have to offload Sancho, with United hoping that his transfer value would increase elsewhere – and he was eventually loaned back to Dortmund for the remainder of the campaign. And the England international didn’t take long to make his mark, leaving one supporter with egg on their face.
Prior to his introduction in the 55th minute, when he replaced Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Sky Sports cameras captured Sancho being jeered by a Darmstadt fan. The supporter shouted: “Erik ten Hag wants to talk to you! You’re a lazy f*****!”
Sancho was unfazed by the comments, with his snood appearing to hide a cheeky smirk. The 23-year-old then made sure that the supporter, as well as Ten Hag, had no choice but to sit up and take notice after he drilled a sensational pass across the face of the goal for Marco Reus to tap home from close range after 77 minutes.
The neat interplay was a key indicator that Sancho has settled in seamlessly back at Dortmund, and Sancho has made his excitement about his homecoming no secret. Speaking after the match, he said: “I just feel like it was meant to be. Me coming back, seeing Marco again, he is a great friend of mine and I appreciate him. I am happy to set up his goal today.
