Jadon Sancho's Manchester United silence telling as Chelsea transfer gamble pays off
Jadon Sancho's renaissance continues to gather pace amid sparkling performances and an impressive Chelsea rise.
The Blues are second in the Premier League table and in fine form having beaten Tottenham 4-3 last time out. Sancho was on target in that victory and he has two in two games having started to showcase his ability that wasn't always evident at Manchester United.
The England international is on loan at Stamford Bridge from Old Trafford and the Manchester Evening News understands that deal will be made permanent should Chelsea finish 14th or higher in the Premier League with the final position dictating the price, which will be between £20-25million.
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Sancho's United career effectively ended when he refused to apologise for calling Erik ten Hag a liar after the Dutchman had criticised the 24-year-old's performances in training. The wideman was then frozen out at United and spent the second half of last season on loan at former club Borussia Dortmund.
He did feature in the Community Shield for United at the start of this campaign before being allowed to leave for Chelsea. And he is beginning to show signs of recapturing his best form playing for Enzo Maresca's side.
Sancho conducted an interview with Sky Sports this week and the words 'Manchester United' were not mentioned by player or interviewer. And while Sancho didn't reference his parent club, some of his answers were perhaps telling over what has changed for him in the last few months.
"The team have created a nice bond in the dressing room and in the staff," said Sancho of life in the capital. "That (age) is one big factor, everyone is a similar age. It is nice to be in and around the group and training is fun, everyone has a smile on their face and everyone is pushing each other to do extras and that is what we need for it to be a good squad."
On Maresca, Sancho added: "He is a very good coach and he understands players but he is very hard on you if you don't do the right stuff. My first talk with him was that I got a good feeling and impression and wanted to play under him.
"When I entered the room I felt his aura and his presence and I feel as a manager you need to feel that in the training ground and especially when he is talking, because he has played the game as well."
Asked about his future and whether this was the best Premier League version of Sancho, the Chelsea man simply said: "I am just focused game by game and hopefully I can keep this momentum. But at the moment I am very happy working hard for the team."