Manchester United interim head coach Ralf Rangnick has said that Jadon Sancho's struggles during the 2021-22 campaign are all in his head.
The England international has found it difficult to make his mark for the 20-time English champions since arriving in a big-money deal from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
Sancho has managed just two goals in 23 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, but Rangnick has insisted that the 21-year-old is "one of the best players in the training sessions" and just needs to work on transferring his performances into matches.
"Whenever I see him train, he's showing that he's one of the best players in the training sessions," Rangnick told reporters. "But now it's about transferring that to when he's playing, and showing the same kind of level and performance on the pitch.
"I said that to him, by the way, the day before yesterday. 'Confirm the performances you show in training when you're playing on the pitch.'
"It's difficult to say (why Sancho has found it difficult this season). I think it's a different league, it's a different competition. It's more physical.
"Now he's playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world. I think it's also got to do with a lot of different things up here in his head. It's a difference if you come as an 18-year-old, unknown, a talented English boy to Borussia Dortmund. From then on, you can only improve; you can only make a success out of that.
"The level of expectation was a lot lower compared to the situation when, at the age of 21, you come to a club like Manchester United for a high transfer fee, with a high level of expectation.
"Everybody expected from him that he would be one of the best players in the team. Again, this is psychologically, emotionally a more challenging situation than the one he had at Borussia Dortmund, and these are exactly the kind of steps that he has to make to become a top player for the next 10 years for this club."
Sancho scored 50 goals and registered 64 assists in 137 appearances for Dortmund before making the move to Old Trafford.
Matt Law
