da bet7k： The winger has six months to earn an unlikely international recall, but do England really need a player who downed tools so often at Old Trafford?

da bet vitoria： "Ever since I've come back, I have felt at home and I'm just happy to be back on the pitch again," Jadon Sancho said after marking his homecoming appearance at Borussia Dortmund with an assist for Marco Reus. "It was meant to be, coming back and seeing Marco again. He's a great friend of mine and I'm happy to set up his goal. [My goal is] to be happy again, to be back on the pitch and to help the team, get them back in the top three and qualify for the Champions League."

The 23-year-old was able to make an instant impact on his return to competitive action, 140 days after his last appearance for Manchester United, as he helped Dortmund earn a crucial 3-0 win away at Darmstadt in the Bundesliga. Sancho did more in a 35-minute cameo than he had across the entirety of his three Premier League outings for the Red Devils at the very start of the season, and he claims it's just the beginning.

"I've got personal goals which I'm not going to say for now," Sancho added. "I just want to help the team and I'm very positive about the second half of the season."

One of those goals will be to add to his haul of 23 caps for England, with the last one coming way back in October 2021. Sancho described his £73 million ($93m) move to United from Dortmund three months earlier as a "dream come true", but he failed to hit the ground running at Old Trafford, and his international career has been put on hold.

Gareth Southgate could certainly use a fully fit and firing Sancho at the European Championship this summer. At the very least, he would give England another option out wide, perhaps as an impact substitute in tighter games.

But the Three Lions boss should be very wary about bringing Sancho back in from the cold after watching his rapid decline at United. It seems that the talented young forward has a problem with authority, and England don't need a disruptive figure in their ranks – especially if they are serious about going all the way in Germany.

Getty'Always an opportunity'

Speculation over Sancho's future initially began when he was omitted from Erik ten Hag's squad for United's trip to Arsenal on September 3. "Because of his performance in training, we didn't select him," the Dutch boss explained to the media. "You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United."

Sancho could have knuckled down to try and prove Ten Hag wrong, but instead, he issued a stinging response on social media, causing irreparable damage to their relationship. "I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue," he said in a post that was quickly deleted. "I have conducted myself very well in training this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into. I've been a scapegoat for a long time, which isn't fair."

Ten Hag reportedly left the door open for Sancho's reintegration, on the condition he issue an apology, but it never came. The England international could have fixed the situation if he'd swallowed his pride, but incredibly decided that spending four months on the sidelines waiting for the January transfer window to open was a better option.

Sancho's stubbornness may have been partly fuelled by a message from Southgate that outlined how he could earn an international recall. "I think that’s the challenge for him now," the England boss said. "It’s been the best part of a couple of years since we worked with him, it’s difficult to say exactly the position that he finds himself and where he is with it all. But for every player that’s not with us, there is always an opportunity if they can seize the form and have the [right] level of performances."

Back at Dortmund, it should be relatively simple for Sancho to meet those requirements. He shone under Edin Terzic during his first spell at Signal Iduna Park, and the slower pace of the Bundesliga suits him far more than the Premier League.

Sancho will get plenty of time on the ball at BVB, along with regular starts, which should allow him to remind the world of his impressive abilities. And it just so happens, the move has come at a time when competition for England recognition in wide attacking berths is more open than ever before in the Southgate era.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesState of play

Southgate is blessed with attacking riches, but at the moment, it's not clear who will be lining up behind Harry Kane when the Euros kick off in June. Club form could well end up dictating England's starting XI, with even those who have traditionally been Southgate's most trusted lieutenants no longer guaranteed a spot.

Raheem Sterling fell into that bracket for the best part of five years, but did not make a single appearance for his country in 2023, and seems to be fighting a losing battle in his bid to return as Southgate continues to favour other options. Chelsea have been wildly inconsistent this season, but not for a lack of effort from Sterling, who has been the standout performer in Maurcio Pochettino's ranks alongside Cole Palmer.

The likes of Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins have earned call-ups in Sterling's absence, and Sancho will no doubt feel he can also push himself into contention for the coveted left-wing role. There may even be a void to fill on the right, with Bukayo Saka currently suffering from burnout at Arsenal. Saka has recorded 21 goal contributions in 27 games for the Gunners so far in 2023-24, but he is visibly exhausted, and it's difficult to see him being in top condition for the Euros if Mikel Arteta doesn't start managing his minutes more effectively.

There are also some household names who have allowed their standards to drop this season, most notably Marcus Rashford. The United star has just four Premier League goals to his name from 20 appearances, but even more concerning than that dismal return is the fact he is giving the ball away and making the wrong decisions constantly.

Jack Grealish is stuck in a similar rut at Manchester City, with summer signing Jeremy Doku now close to usurping him in Pep Guardiola's plans. England don't have another player that can match Grealish for pure invention, but he's struggling to stand out at the Etihad Stadium, and still has work to do to secure a spot on the plane to Germany.

Phil Foden hasn't had that issue for City, though, and will surely be a first-choice pick if he can keep up his momentum in the coming months. Tottenham's James Maddison was also in the running before picking up a serious injury in November, but even when fully fit, he tends to cause most damage in central positions.

All of this points to Sancho re-emerging on Southgate's radar. The United outcast will be desperate to exorcise the demons of his missed penalty in England's shootout defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, and a strong run for Dortmund will put him in a great position to do exactly that.

(C)Getty Images'Issues all the way through'

Southgate would, however, be wise to take into account all the evidence stacked against Sancho in terms of his disciplinary record at United. "So after he was signed, one year before (I was here), and there were issues," Ten Hag told last week. "We have had issues all the way through, and so you can make out his stay at Manchester United so far is not a success."

Former United midfielder Nemanja Matic was among those to help Sancho settle into his new surroundings in the 2021-22 season, but has claimed that the attacker angered senior members of the dressing room because he was "always late" for training. By the end of his debut campaign, Sancho had only provided three goals and three assists in 29 games, which suggests he did not put in the necessary work to adapt to the demands of Premier League football.

That lack of application quickly became apparent to Ten Hag, who insisted Sancho was not in the "right status or fitness state" after dropping him for United's last four games prior to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Sancho didn't play again until February 2023, with reporting that United addressed his punctuality problems by instructing him to start his daily schedule one hour earlier than the rest of the squad – and the tough love approach appeared to work initially as he enjoyed a strong finish to the season, which included a start in the FA Cup final.

Still, Ten Hag knew there was always a danger of going back to square one. "He has to get more consistency in his performance but he has to do it at a higher level," the Dutch coach told the when quizzed on Sancho's general condition on United's pre-season tour of the United States.

Indeed, Sancho had to be content with a place on the bench for United's first three games of the new season, and he ran from the challenge again. Ten Hag did everything possible to bring the best out of Sancho, and make him understand exactly what is required to be successful at one of the world's elite clubs, only to see it all thrown back in his face.

"I wish him the best of luck. I hope, we all hope he is doing well there, he will be successful," Ten Hag added after Sancho's loan exit was confirmed. "Again, we will see what is going to happen." Dortmund don't have a buy-option on Sancho, but if Ten Hag is still in charge at Old Trafford in the summer, it's safe to say he still won't want the petulant winger anywhere near his squad.

Getty/GOALPath blocked by Rashford

"I wanted to sign him," Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said in an interview with last year when quizzed about Sancho. "Jadon was put up as the number one target for the right wing by the scouts and when you look at his talent, I could see why. Unfortunately, it has not worked out. He's immensely talented and we haven't seen the best of him. I hope we do but he prefers to play left wing, where Marcus [Rashford] plays."

Sancho predominantly operated on the right during his first stint at Dortmund, which was a problem position for Solskjaer when he brought the youngster to United in July 2021. But the scouting team at Old Trafford failed to notice that for a large portion of his final season with BVB, Sancho started on the opposite flank.

Dortmund carried a far greater threat when Sancho was on the left, as he was able to cut in or go down the outside with equal verve, which went some way to explaining his incredible total of 36 goal contributions across all competitions. Sancho had found his best position, only to be told by Solskjaer that United needed him to settle in straight away back out on the right.

United's failure to put a proper programme in place for unlocking Sancho's full potential sums up their general ineptitude in the recruitment arena over the past decade, and his early struggles in Manchester were a symptom of that. And once it became apparent that Sancho couldn't cut it on the right, Solskjaer and his staff were left scratching their heads trying to figure out how to accommodate him and Rashford in the same XI.

Ralf Rangnick and Ten Hag also struggled to come up with a solution, with Sancho only really getting a look in on the occasions when Rashford was moved into a central striker role. Sancho has spent the best part of three seasons in the shadow of his England colleague, but he's been given a much-needed clean slate after returning to Dortmund, and might now be able to move ahead of Rashford in the international pecking order.