Topics: Jadon Sancho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Football
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed a problem Jadon Sancho had to deal with at the start of his Manchester United career that 'hadn't come out before'.
Back in the summer of 2021, Sancho left German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund for United in a deal worth a reported fee of £73 million.
However, the winger endured a tough time at Old Trafford, making 83 appearances across all competitions and scoring 12 goals.
After failing to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI, Sancho has recently spent time on loan at Dortmund and Chelsea.
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This summer, Sancho was loaned out to Aston Villa as the 25-year-old looks to reignite his career once more.
Since moving to Villa Park, Sancho has yet to score or assist in eight matches for Unai Emery's team.
Speaking recently on The Overlap, former United boss Solskjaer revealed that Sancho had to deal with a health issue at the start of his Old Trafford career, which ruined his pre-season.
He said: "We wanted to take the next step — not move away from what we had, but add something different in the final third. We wanted players who could break teams down, and Jadon, with his skill, link-up play, and little passes around the box, gave us that.
"He was unlucky, though. Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection."
Solskjaer continued: "He was in hospital and really struggled for his first 10 days or so before he could even start training with us.
"That hasn’t really come out before. So, yeah, I never really got to play with him properly, because by the time he was finding form again, I was already on my way out."
Solskjaer eventually lost his job in November 2021, after losing seven of his last 13 matches as Red Devils boss.
Last month, Sancho was left unhappy after being brought on and then taken off by Emery within 45 minutes.
The Englishman started on the bench before being brought on after Emi Buendia suffered an injury but Sancho was taken off in the second half for Evann Guessand.
Emery explained: "Yes, sure he's (Sancho) not happy but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday.
"Today when he (Buendia) was injured, my plan was maybe in case he (Sancho) was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.
"But my plan was when he was swapped with Emiliano Buendia, the idea was maybe not playing all the minutes until the last moment. And I told him as well, he can feel it, it's embarrassing."
