Jadon Sancho hospitalised during Manchester United spell

The January transfer window is already shaping up to be another busy one for Manchester United, with Ruben Amorim and his recruitment staff expected to make big decisions on who stays and who goes.

Several loanees, including those struggling to find form elsewhere, are being closely monitored as the club continues to refine its squad ahead of a crucial second half of the season.

United have shown signs of improvement under Amorim, but inconsistencies in front of goal and squad discipline remain topics of discussion among fans and pundits alike.

As certain players like continue to grow into their roles, the club’s history with expensive attacking signings remains a cautionary tale.

One such example is Jadon Sancho, a name that continues to divide opinion among the Old Trafford faithful.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the man who pushed for Sancho’s arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, has now shed new light on why the winger struggled to make an early impact at Manchester United.

Despite finally landing his long-term target for £72 million, the Norwegian admits things didn’t go to plan.

Speaking to The Overlap, on YouTube, Solskjaer revealed that Sancho’s slow start was down to a surprising issue.

He said: “We wanted to take the next step, not move away from what we had, but add something different in the final third.

“We wanted players who could break teams down, and Jadon, with his skill, link-up play, and little passes around the box, gave us that.

“He was unlucky, though.

“Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection.

“He was in hospital and really struggled for his first 10 days or so before he could even start training with us.

“That hasn’t really come out before.

“So, yeah, I never really got to play with him properly, because by the time he was finding form again, I was already on my way out.”

Jadon Sancho, now on loan at Aston Villa in the final year of his United contract, appears to have no future at Old Trafford.

His public fallout with former boss Erik ten Hag, coupled with questionable professionalism, has left fans with little sympathy.

Despite Solskjaer’s defence of the winger’s early struggles, the years of inconsistency and attitude problems that followed tell their own story, one that serves as a warning for United’s next generation of talent.