Sancho shines again as Man Utd rue THREE transfer mistakes

Tom Weber

• Updated: 20 Jan 2024 17:03 GMT
• 3 min read

Jadon Sancho showed more signs of promise in his second game back at Borussia Dortmund.

The English winger marked his (second) debut for the Black and Yellow with an assist against promoted Darmstadt last week and he again performed against Koln. Thrown into the starting line-up by head coach Edin Terzic, not everything came off for Sancho - only natural after not playing for almost five months - but he won the crucial penalty that put the game beyond the reach of the home side.

Sancho even begged Niclas Fullkrug to allow him to take it himself, but the latter, in typical striker fashion, wasn't having it. The two wheeled off in celebration after Fullkrug converted, making it 2-0 to Dortmund on the way to a 4-0 rout. Despite still being a bit rusty, Sancho is thriving back in Dortmund.

Indeed, those within BVB circles say that the 23-year-old is much more outgoing and cheerful than he was even during his first stint at the club. Leaving Man Utd appears to have been a brilliant career choice and some Red Devils fans will feel that Sancho could be useful right now given Antony's impotence in the attacking third this term.

Man Utd's missed opportunities

Sancho, however, isn't the only potential Man Utd transfer mistake. On the contrary, the loanee wasn't the only one to star against Koln. Donyell Malen, whom Man Utd are interested in, put in a brilliant shift and notched two goals.

According to recent reports, the Dutchman is no longer for sale due to Karim Adeyemi's injury, so not signing him will go down as a missed opportunity for the Red Devils. FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that they were weighing up making a loan-to-buy offer, but that ship has evidently sailed now.

Finally, Youssoufa Moukoko also scored another goal, having already found the net against Darmstadt as a substitute last week. In October, rumours began abounding that the youngster had become unsettled at Dortmund due to his lack of minutes.

He would have been a brilliant signing for Man Utd to take the pressure off Rasmus Hojlund, but similarly to Malen, it seems way too late to pursue a deal now as the youngster will be key to Dortmund in the second half of the season given his prolificness in recent games.