Jadon Sancho has a “tell”. Before a dribble, he often raises his right arm to shoulder
height, a bit like a praying mantis that’s ready to catch and devour a fly. Countless
Bundesliga defenders have nevertheless fallen victim to his quick shuffle of feet and feints,
unable to stop his advance. They knew what was coming. But they couldn’t do much about
it. It’s the Arjen Robben paradox.
In Sancho’s last game for Borussia Dortmund, the 4-1 win over RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal
final, it was the same. Sancho proved largely unplayable in that game. He scored two goals
and provided an assist for Erling Haaland.
After the win, which earned Dortmund their first piece of silverware in four years, L’Equipe
described him as a “wunderkind”. Sky Sports Germany went for “a magician of the ball”.
Now, he’s a Manchester United player.
United supporters should be excited. Sancho’s unique skill set — a combination of individual
wizardry, less obvious but consistent ball progression up the pitch and an eye for a
killer pass — will add plenty to their team’s attacks.
Add versatility to that list, too. There’s debate as to whether Sancho is better used
on the left or the right, and whether he needs a specific type of full-back behind him. Achraf
Hakimi’s departure to Inter Milan last summer was blamed for his being less impactful on
the Dortmund right during the first four months of the 2020-21 season.
But the numbers tell a different story. In 2019-20, Sancho’s best season at BVB (20
goals and 20 assists in all competitions), he spent only 29 per cent on the right wing
directly ahead of Hakimi, the marauding wing-back. He mostly played in a more central role (50
per cent, plus eight per cent as a striker) and sometimes on the left (13 per cent.
In 2020-21, a season defined by Lucien Favre (and his successor Edin Terzic) switching
to a back-four system with an additional central attacking midfielder, Sancho was more of an
orthodox winger, albeit on both sides: 45 per cent of his minutes were on the left,
37 per cent of them on the right.
On the left, he was supported by the offensively-minded Raphael Guerreiro. On the right, it was the
less-refined Thomas Meunier. Yet Sancho’s attacking output and style was quite consistent
on either flank, as we can see by using smarterscout, a tool that uses advanced metrics to give
players a rating from zero to 99 based on how often they perform a specific action compared
to others playing in their position, or how effective they are at it.
The first chart shows how he rated in different categories when playing on the right wing
for Dortmund last season…
The second shows how he rated on the left wing for Dortmund in 2020-21.
It’s on the left where he was at his most dangerous for Dortmund last season. An expected
goals (xG) from shot creation of 88 out of 99 is up there with the very best in his position
at the elite level. Playing in front of Guerreiro rather than Meunier might explain why there
was a bit more end product on the left, but Sancho’s move there also coincided with
Terzic taking over a Dortmund team that had looked slow and sluggish in attack.
It’s his ability to get the ball where it matters — to attackers in the box — that’s
particularly eye-catching. Among under-23 midfielders and forwards with 900-plus minutes,
Sancho’s rate of 0.48 assists per 90 is unrivalled in the Bundesliga and only bettered
by Real Madrid’s Rodrygo across Europe’s top five leagues last season.
But his influence goes far beyond playing the last ball. One of Sancho’s key traits
is his ability to progress the ball upfield. His xG from ball progression (when on the
left wing in 2020-21) — ie, passing, receiving, carrying the ball upfield — is rated 94
out of 99, which shows he is one of the best in his position at advancing the play.
In terms of running with the ball, he is truly in a class of his own. Statsbomb data via
FBref shows that no other under-23 midfielder or forward in Europe’s top five leagues
has carried the ball more frequently than Sancho’s 60.7 per 90 minutes. The extent
of those carries is even more impressive: his 10.4 “progressive” carries per 90
are among the top five in Europe for his age.
Interestingly, he doesn’t tend to shoot all that often on a per-touch basis, and doesn’t
frequently receive in the box for a player in his position. That’s likely to be due
to the fact he has so many touches on the ball
Sancho is clearly comfortable with the ball at his feet, and he is not afraid to try to
beat his man either. His 7.1 attempted dribbles per 90 minutes is the highest of any player
in the Bundesliga, a skill that makes him a threat both on the break and when trying
to unlock packed defences. In the Premier League last season, that was also only bettered
by Adama Traore and Allan Saint-Maximin.
So, this has been a protracted pursuit, with Manchester United taking nearly two years
to complete the signing. But for €85 million, the cut and thrust Jadon Sancho provides will
allow him to change the aesthetic of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s attack and make him worth that
long weight.