Why Sancho's transformation under Rangnick has come at the perfect time for Man Utd
Stefan Bienkowski
- Updated: 22 Feb 2022 09:47 GMT
- 5 min read
Manchester United fans don’t have a huge amount to be excited about from Ralf Rangnick’s first few months in charge but one thing that is beyond doubt is the form of Jadon Sancho.
The former Borussia Dortmund star was entirely underused by former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and often struggled to make it on to the bench at Old Trafford most weeks.
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However, under Rangnick’s stewardship, Sancho has been afforded plenty of game time and slowly but surely he has begun to once again look like the player that dazzled the Bundesliga for so many years.
Indeed, in his last five games for the Red Devils, Sancho has picked up no less than two goals and two assists, with the latter achievement coming in Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Leeds United.
And while goals are always vital in football, it will be Sancho’s ability to create goals for his team mates that could prove crucial for Man Utd and the rest of their season.
Man Utd’s playmaker problem
While much has been made of Man Utd’s inability to score goals in recent weeks, the real fault at the heart of Rangnick’s team is that it doesn’t have a competent playmaker to rely upon.
Despite missing a huge chunk of the season through injury, Paul Pogba is still the leading player at Man Utd when it comes to assists in the Premier League and even he has only managed to pick up eight.
Sancho, due to his struggles in the first half of the season, still only sits on two assists in the league thus far, but there’s no denying that the winger could and should be able to add to that tally between now and the end of the season.
Indeed, over the course of his time in Germany, Sancho bagged no less than 64 assists in 137 appearances at a rate of 0.58 assists per 90.
If the winger can stay fit and continue to show the kind of form he put on for show in Germany, Sancho could end up bagging a further six or seven assists before the end of the season and go some way to alleviating Man Utd’s current struggles.
