Unai Emery takes ‘gamble’ with Jadon Sancho as Aston Villa problem mooted
Jadon Sancho could cause trouble for Aston Villa this season.
Sancho signed on loan for Villa from Manchester United on deadline day as the Villa Park club looked to add some much-needed attacking depth to their squad.
The Englishman is yet to truly get an opportunity, with fellow summer signing Harvey Elliott also struggling for minutes for Villa.
There are fears surrounding the United loanee in particular, despite Sancho putting in a top performance for Villa against Sunderland as a substitute.
This has seen Unai Emery be questioned, as Sancho acclimatises to life at Bodymoor Heath after dealing with widespread scrutiny in recent years.
This article includes exclusive comments from former Aston Villa employee Bryan King.
Unai Emery takes gamble with Jadon Sancho signing
There are concerns that Sancho could flop as a Villa signing after what was a mixed bag of a campaign with Chelsea last time out.
Enzo Maresca’s side opted not to bring the winger back to Stamford Bridge, despite a positive goal involvement return, raising further questions over his character.
| Stat (24/25) | Jadon Sancho |
| Appearances | 41 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 8 |
Fans have only had positive things to say about Sancho in B6, with his appearances off the bench making a good impression.
Despite this, King believes his temperament is a worry and is something that could ultimately hamper Emery and his progress moving forward.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, King said: “I don’t know whether anybody is the right man to resurrect his career, to be honest.
“He seems to have an attitude problem.
“He’s one of those players who can’t seem to settle, and I can’t imagine that it’s financial worries that are causing these problems; it might be his lifestyle and his attitude.
“These are the things that have to change, and I don’t know whether Unai Emery is the right man to do it. All the others seem to have failed, and there have been a few good names there.
“Maybe Emery feels that he can resurrect his career like he did with Marcus Rashford. But he’s taking a gamble. It was successful with Rashford to a point, but it’s got a long way to go for Sancho at this point.
“Ultimately, the only person who can sort it is him. He’s got to win the fans over and win the football club over.”
Jadon Sancho could become next Marcus Rashford at Aston Villa
Rashford was looking like a washed-up forward when he turned up in the Midlands last season, but put in a shift in claret and blue.
This saw Emery get the best out of the England international, helping him to now be playing for Barcelona and scoring wondergoals in the Champions League.
This has to be seen as a blueprint for the Spaniard to work from when it comes to Sancho, who is in a very similar position to his former Old Trafford teammate.
It could prove to be a risk worth taking for the Villans, but the former Borussia Dortmund man has to put his best foot forward and perform in B6.
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