Jadon Sancho would “fit in with Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes like a duck to water”, claims the Borussia Dortmund winger’s former youth coach Louis Lancaster, with Manchester United urged to retain their interest in the 20-year-old.
The England international has been a top target for those at Old Trafford for some time. United have invested plenty of time and energy into trying to put a deal for Sancho in place, but Dortmund are reluctant sellers and will not part with such a prized asset for anything less than his full market value.
That is leaving the Red Devils frustrated as they seek to bring the hefty asking price down, and they may be forced to turn their attention elsewhere.
The clock is ticking on United in the current transfer window, with Donny van Beek the only fresh face welcomed into their ranks so far.
Lancaster hopes interest in Sancho will be retained, saying there is plenty of potential value in a big-money deal that would add another proven performer to Solskjaer’s squad.
“If Jadon was to go to Manchester United I think it would be a great move for him," Lancaster, who worked with Sancho in Watford’s academy system, told the Manchester Evening News. “He would be going to play for a manager that has trust, if you look at some managers they don't trust that talent.
“Jadon will probably go to Manchester United but it will also be great for the Premier League, and it would be great for him because the club are structurally set up for success.
“You don't want to go somewhere they are not set up for that. The club have got a tremendous amount of history, they have got a great coaching staff and they have got players who will trust him.”
Lancaster added on Sancho slotting in alongside a number of other match-winners at Old Trafford: “I think with his personality he will just fit in with Pogba, Fernandes, he will just fit in like a duck to water.
“If he goes there they are not just getting a great footballer but they are getting a mature 20-year-old. If you look at others his age he is incredibly mature. For him to leave a country at such a young age, and going to Germany has made him a better person. If he goes to Manchester United they are getting a mature and independent 20-year-old.”
Sancho left Manchester and the ranks of United’s arch-rivals City in 2017, heading for Germany to find the regular football he craved, away from English shores.
That important career call has been justified with senior international recognition and 35 goals in 101 appearances for Dortmund.