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Paul Merson slams Manchester United star; urged to bin conservative playing style

Originally posted on We All Follow United
By Rohit Sarkar | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 8:08 PM ET

Paul Merson wants Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho to take more risks on the ball

Manchester United signed Jadon Sancho with a lot of hope and expectation after keeping tabs on him for a long time. The fans hoped that the English winger would light up Old Trafford, but fate had something else in store for both him and the fans. The 25-year-old failed to settle in the United jersey and even fell out of favour under former manager Erik Ten Hag.

Chelsea signed him on loan during the 2024-25 season. United hoped that the Englishman would find his form from Borussia Dortmund days, and the Blues would sign him permanently at the end of the season. However, Chelsea decided to pay a £5 million penalty fee to return him to Old Trafford. United struggled to offload him the whole summer due to his exorbitant wages, but ultimately managed to loan him out to Aston Villa till the end of the season. The winger was also demanding a loyalty bonus to leave Old Trafford.

Paul Merson speaks on Jadon Sancho:

Meanwhile, former Aston Villa player Paul Merson is not happy with Sancho’s current approach and performance on the field. He feels that the 25-year-old is not taking on the defenders with pace and also not drawing fouls in dangerous areas. Merson feels that Sancho is playing too safely, and he needs to take risks with the ball. The former Villa man wants Sancho to run at the defenders, create more chances, and not worry about losing possession.

“I don’t know what Jadon Sancho is doing at the moment, though, he’s not running at anybody, not committing people and not taking chances! Sancho needs to stop playing it safe and take risks with the ball at his feet. If you lose the ball, no one cares. Try and make things happen instead of just passing them around.”

Quote via: CaughtOffside

United need Sancho to fire for Villa this season

Sancho needs to regain confidence and keep an elite mindset while playing for Villa. The 25-year-old needs to shred off fear and has to take risks on the ball; otherwise, he is going nowhere with his current mentality. The English winger is already at the lowest point of his career, and nothing worse can happen to him. So, Sancho has to believe in himself and has to drive at the defenders and full-backs more this season.

Manchester United have no other option rather to hope that he shines for Villa, as the Birmingham-based club has no buy-out clause in the deal, and hence Sancho has to return to United at the end of the season. A stellar season at Villa will significantly boost his transfer value and allow United to recoup a substantial portion of their investment next summer, rather than facing another situation like the £5 million penalty Chelsea paid to avoid a permanent deal. If he shines, United benefit financially, and if his current form continues, then the Red Devils will be stuck with him yet again.

This article first appeared on We All Follow United and was syndicated with permission.

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