Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho is one of Manchester United's targets ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, but what if he'd have signed for the club last summer?
United have prioritised three key positions ahead of the summer transfer window, centre-back, defensive midfield and right-wing, with Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, Villarreal defender Pau Torres and Sancho just some of the players on the club's radar this summer.
But with Manchester United being defeated in the Europa League final on penalties by Villarreal in Gdansk following a 1-1 draw after extra-time, could Sancho and his extra quality in attacking areas have made the difference for United in what was a very tightly contested game?
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So, what could have happened if Sancho had been in the United team against Villarreal?
We used FIFA 21 to find out and this is what happened...
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We used kick-off mode within FIFA 21 but didn't select a team to control; we then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a prediction.
The AI difficulty was set to legendary, with the line-up updated with the latest transfers, injuries and suspensions.
Villarreal set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Rulli; Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Pedraza; Pino, Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros ; Bacca, Moreno.
We predict that United would have set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Shaw; McTominay, Pogba; Sancho , Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani.
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The real-life Europa League final in Gdansk was a tight game, but this simulated match was even more so, with Villarreal staying deeper and more compact. The Jadon Sancho effect?
With no goals in normal time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sent on Donny van de Beek and Mason Greenwood for Scott McTominay and Mason Greenwood, and their added freshness made the difference, as did Sancho.
On a rare breakaway, in the 112th minute, Sancho cut inside the area and laid a pass into the path of Cavani, who took a touch, swivelled and smashed the ball in the far corner.
Greenwood's arrival saw Sancho move to the left, and that's the position from which the winger provided the assist, as you can see from the above screenshot.
And that was that, United won the game 1-0 after extra-time, with Sancho assisting Cavani and a penalty shootout avoided.
In addition to Sancho's major goal contribution, the English winger was a major threat throughout, stretching Villarreal's defence and playing well overall.
Predicted FIFA 21 Europa League final score with Sancho: Villarreal 0-1 United (AET)
FIFA 21 predicts that if Sancho was in the United XI vs Villarreal in the Europa League final, the talented winger could have made a big impact, and could have possibly created the winning goal for United in what was a tight game.
Would you be happy to see Jadon Sancho sign for Manchester United this summer? Have your say in the comments below.
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FIFA 21 is out now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, with FIFA 21 next-gen also now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Additionally, fans who jump into FIFA 21 can also benefit from Dual Entitlement, enabling them to upgrade their copy of the game from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5, or Xbox One to Xbox Series X/S at no extra cost.
