Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær has revealed that an ear infection contributed to Jadon Sancho’s unsettling start to his Red Devils career.
After lighting up the Bundesliga for several years with Borussia Dortmund, Sancho garnered plenty of transfer interest and, eventually, United struck a deal worth £73 million ($96 million) to bring him back to Manchester in the summer of 2021.
The winger was projected to be a significant difference-maker at Old Trafford, but Sancho has since embarked on a bitterly disappointing career with the Red Devils. Come the end of 2025–26, he would’ve spent the past two-and-a-half seasons out on loan, with Dortmund, Chelsea and, currently, Aston Villa.
Sancho hasn’t appeared in a Premier League game for Man Utd since August 2023, and is unlikely to ever represent the club again. In his 83 outings for the Red Devils, the Englishman scored 12 times and notched six assists.
A major fallout with Erik ten Hag undoubtedly contributed to his demise, but his first United boss, Solskjær, has suggested Sancho’s career in Manchester was doomed from the start.
Solskjaer: I Never Got Chance to Work With Sancho Properly
Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Overlap, the Norwegian discussed his initial excitement over the signing, believing Sancho could offer "something different in the final third."
"We wanted players who could break teams down, and Jadon, with his skill, link-up play, and little passes around the box, gave us that," Solskjær said.
"He was unlucky through. Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection. He was in the hospital, and really struggled for his first ten days or so before he could even start training with us. That hasn't previously come out before. I never really got to play with him properly, because by the time he was finding form again, I was already on my way out."
Sancho featured off the bench in United’s first two games of the 2021–22 season, and wouldn’t score his first Man Utd goal until after Solskjær was given the boot following a 4–1 defeat at Watford in November.
We’ll never know if life would’ve been different for Sancho in Manchester had the Norwegian remained at the helm, but he must now focus on getting into Unai Emery’s Villa side if he harbours any hopes of remaining at a top European club.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former Man Utd Manager Reveals Previously Unknown Jadon Sancho Woe.
