Jadon Sancho was branded the “worst player on the pitch” as Borussia Dortmund were beaten 3-2 by Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Sancho’s return to Dortmund on loan last month came after a very public fallout with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. This dispute stemmed from Sancho’s exclusion from the first team following remarks by Ten Hag suggesting that Sancho’s performance in training was the reason for his absence in the squad for a match against Arsenal in September, which ended in a 3-1 loss for United.
Responding to Ten Hag’s comments, Sancho took to social media to refute them, claiming they were “completely untrue” and that he was being unfairly singled out. Consequently, Sancho found himself sidelined at United and opted to return to Dortmund to reignite his form.
However, Sancho’s stint back at Dortmund has not gone as smoothly as anticipated. Despite featuring in seven games, he has yet to find the back of the net. Following Dortmund’s defeat to Hoffenheim, during which Sancho played 75 minutes before being substituted for Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, German outlet Der Westen heavily criticized Sancho for his lack of impact.
“BVB was so happy when Jadon Sancho was brought back during the last winter transfer period,” they wrote. “The prodigal son is finally back. He really sent the fans into a state of euphoria. A few weeks later there is no sign of it anymore.
“Against TSG Hoffenheim, the supporters hoped that the 23-year-old would finally score his first goal. But they were disappointed once again. The BVB star showed another poor performance against Hoffenheim and was probably the worst player on the pitch.”
The assessment follows Dortmund’s 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven in the initial leg of their Champions League last 16 encounter last week. Head coach Edin Terzic openly acknowledged after the match that Sancho is aware of the necessity to elevate his performances.
