Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca takes shot at Man United after Jadon Sancho debut

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has sent a response to the concerns over Jadon Sancho following his Manchester United stint following an assist on his debut.

Sancho, 24, departed United on an initial loan deal this summer to join Premier League rivals Chelsea. He will move permanently to Stamford Bridge next summer.

It was a torrid spell at Old Trafford for the winger who moved for £73 million in 2021 from Borussia Dortmund. He could never find consistency under multiple managers and ended up building a sour relationship with Erik ten Hag.

Concerns were built over his game and behind-the-scenes work. He disagreed with Ten Hag after the manager told reporters he was dropped from a squad for his training performances.

Maresca sends Sancho message after debut

Sancho is now trying to rebuild his career at Chelsea and got off to the perfect start on Saturday evening as he assisted a late winner against Bournemouth on his debut.

The winger was awarded with the Man of the Match after the game despite only coming on at half-time.

Speaking after the game, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was asked about the potential issues Sancho brought to the table after his spell at Old Trafford.

The manager explained that he does not see any problems with the player and that he doesn’t care about the external noise created by his difficult spell at United.

“No, no… I don’t see problems around Jadon [Sancho] or Joao [Felix]. I don’t see anything negative to be honest,” he told Sky Sports.

“For me, Jadon is a very good player and I knew he was very good and could help us.

“All the noise around him? I don’t care. He is very polite, he is training very well with the ball and without the ball and he’s a good player.”

Still the right move?

It’s easy for United fans to get frustrated seeing a player who rarely performed for the club already start well at his new team.

But the truth is that we didn’t see much different from Sancho than what we were used to at Old Trafford. It does seem like the players around him at Chelsea could allow him to thrive more-so than at United, which makes it a good move for the player and club.

It is not ideal to be strengthening an opponent, but there is still a long way to go for Sancho in the Premier League, while United now have Amad Diallo on their right-flank, who is thriving.

Ultimately, Sancho’s time at United will be a lesson for the new hierarchy that there needs to be a clear plan for a player when signed, especially when you’re chasing them for a number of years.

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