Alan Shearer delivers brutal verdict on £73m Manchester United flop fighting to save his Premier League career

“I don’t know what’s going on with Jadon Sancho in terms of his training or his life, but he’s got an opportunity at Villa now, and if it doesn’t work out here, people will look back and say, ‘Hang on, you’ve been given so many opportunities.’ You can only have so many.

I guess it is humiliating when you’re put on as a sub and then taken off again. It hasn’t worked out yet for him, but there’s only one way around it, and that is hard work. Get your head down, get your attitude right, and if you do that, things will turn around.”

Many would agree with what Shearer said that the English winger has now run out of time and excuses. There are also reports floating that Manchester United will be looking to offload him for free when his contract expires. They have certainly accepted the fact that their big gamble has failed. However, Villa will have to retain him for now, and can’t send him back to United mid-season. There is a reported clause in the deal which protects that.

A career that needs revival more than rescue

Sancho’s story no longer feels like just one bad season. It follows a pattern built by poor choices, tactical confusion, and personal struggles. The English winger’s decline started when he left Dortmund, where he thrived in a system that revolved around his creativity.

At United, he lost direction in a carousel of managers and changing tactics. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played him wide, Ralf Rangnick demanded pressing, and Ten Hag pushed for intensity that Sancho couldn’t maintain. The fallout with Ten Hag over training discipline and attitude went public and damaged his career. His refusal to apologise closed his Old Trafford chapter long before the paperwork did.

Even after he left United, his problems followed him. At Dortmund, the 25-year-old showed glimpses of his old self but never rediscovered his spark. At Chelsea, he failed to impress, prompting the club to pay a fee just to end the deal. Now at Villa, the same issues persist: limited fitness, clashes with Emery, and a lack of consistency.

If Sancho wants to rebuild, he must change his approach both mentally and physically. The winger may also need to accept lower wages and look for stability outside the Premier League, perhaps in Germany or Italy, where the pressure is lighter.

Manchester United should now plan to release him, a move that could finally free his career. Whether he takes that chance depends entirely on whether Jadon Sancho still believes he can become the player he once promised to be.