Jadon Sancho could inadvertently cost current employers Manchester United a place in the Champions League next season after his heroics for Borussia Dortmund.
Sancho is currently on loan at Dortmund from United until the end of the season after a public dispute with manager Erik ten Hag.
That dispute meant that the England winger did not play or train with United's first team in six months between September and January, and he subsequently returned to his former club on a temporary basis.
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It understandably took the 23-year-old several matches to get back up to full sharpness, but he is starting to show glimpses of the form that convinced United to shell out an initial £73 million to sign him from Dortmund in 2021.
After a 1-1 draw against PSV in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash, Sancho put Dortmund ahead in the second leg at Signal Iduna Park - and in some style.
Check out his goal below.
PSV had chances to level up the contest both on the night and on aggregate, but Marco Reus capitalised on a late defensive error to add to Dortmund's advantage and put the tie beyond the Dutch Eredivisie leaders.
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Dortmund will now progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign.
Sancho's contribution undoubtedly played a key role in that achievement - and could cost United come season's end.
Erik ten Hag's side are still aiming to finish in the top five of the Premier League, which may be enough to qualify for next season's Champions League. They are currently in sixth position.
Under the current format, only four Premier League teams can qualify for Europe's top continental competition.
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But once the new format increases the number of teams from 32 to 36 next season, two more teams can qualify based on their nation's co-efficient.
To put that more simply, the two nations whose domestic teams perform the strongest as a collective in European competition this season will earn the extra spot.
England are already on the back foot in that regard, with Newcastle and United getting dumped out of European competition entirely as a result of finishing bottom of their Champions League groups in December.
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They are currently in third place in the season co-efficient rankings - behind Italy and Germany.
Sancho and Dortmund's heroics, therefore, only strengthen Germany's position in second place, and they are, at the time of writing, 0.625 points ahead of England.
United, therefore, need to rely on the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal to help secure the second spot - and, of course, finish fifth in the Premier League themselves.
Featured Image Credit: Getty / TNT SportsTopics: Jadon Sancho, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Champions League, Football, Erik Ten Hag
