Timeline of what went wrong for Jadon Sancho at Man Utd

It didn’t take long for Jadon Sancho to show how happy he was with his Borussia Dortmund return.

Whether it’s the rather symbolic badge kiss, the return of those pearly whites, or the re-establishment of his connection with Marco Reus; a litany of sequences have manifested a spritely Sancho amid his homecoming.

It was Sancho’s majestic first spell in Dortmund that had many tipping him for superstardom. A major move to one of Europe’s financial behemoths developed into an inevitability as his stellar form persisted in front of the Yellow Wall.

The winger’s time in Germany evolved the Manchester City academy graduate into Manchester United’s next great hope. Following a two-summers long transfer saga, the Red Devils eventually splurged £73m to bring the England international to Old Trafford, but less than three years on from that inevitable move, Sancho has been welcomed back by the comforting arms of the Bundesliga’s bridesmaid.

Here’s how United’s fourth-most expensive player of all-time went from superstar to first-team canteen ban in Manchester.

While much of the discourse surrounding Sancho’s demise at Man Utd involves a certain Erik ten Hag, the winger’s time at the club was troubled from the outset.

Despite his move being confirmed on 23 July 2021, Sancho didn’t start training with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side until 7 August – a week before the Premier League season began – as a result of a nasty ear infection. His arrival was then overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning return (which could’ve worked in Sancho’s favour), and the winger was used off the bench in United’s first two league games.

Solskjaer was sacked a month before Christmas after overseeing an indifferent start to the season. Sancho was integrated into the starting lineup on Matchday 3, but he failed to notch a single goal contribution while the Norwegian was in charge.

Despite returning to his homeland, the winger had struggles adapting to the frenetic beast that is the Premier League. Many believe more could’ve been done to help Sancho settle, with Solskjaer’s tactical inadequacies ensuring the best of Sancho wasn’t seen at the start of his United career.

Sancho’s debut campaign at the Theatre of Dreams was one of utter dysfunction. After Solskjaer departed, the winger briefly impressed under interim boss Michael Carrick and was given plenty of opportunities to shine during Ralf…