Credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Thu 19 March 2026 22:30, UK

Jadon Sancho came under scrutiny as Aston Villa secured a 2-0 victory against Lille on Thursday.

The Englishman has hardly covered himself in glory while on loan at Villa Park, but he did come in from the start in the Europa League.

He played his part and even grabbed an assist as goals from John McGinn and Leon Bailey sent the Villans on their way to the quarter-final.

Even on a night where he picked up only his second assist of the campaign, he made himself look a bit silly in claret and blue.

Sancho left the Villa faithful scratching their heads against Lille and was rightly slammed as a result.

Dion Dublin rips into Jadon Sancho moment vs Lille

The Manchester United loanee showed a cool head early in the second half as he latched on to a long ball from Emi Martinez.

He brought the ball under his spell before slowing play right down, and picked out McGinn with a perfect ball into his path.

The skipper duly found the bottom corner and sent the claret and blue outfit on their way to victory as Leon Bailey went on to seal victory.

Fans may not be speaking about the assist in days to come, but a moment where Sancho attempted a dribble and kicked the ball straight out of play just might.

The winger had acres of space to run into down the right flank, but a poor touch sent the ball over the touchline for a Lille throw-in.

It’s safe to say that former Villa star Dion Dublin was unimpressed as he criticised the loanee live on BBC Radio Five Live.

He said: “He was ready to go, but he was kind of ahead of himself.

“There was a lot of grass in front of him; he’s 10 yards inside his own half. Knock it into the space and use your pace. His touch was awful, unfortunately.”

That will likely be remembered by the B6 faithful even with Villa securing a 2-0 win against Lille on the night.

Sancho looked improved for Aston Villa

The 25-year-old has had far from a vintage season with the Villans, but looked better against Lille this time around.

He was pretty anonymous in the first leg, but made his presence known in the second with some flashes in the Midlands.

His one shot of the night that wasn’t blocked smashed the post, but he also created two chances and maintained an 85 per cent pass accuracy.

That was also helped by his four defensive actions and four duel wins, which Unai Emery will certainly appreciate from his wide man.

Sancho now needs to hit these heights every week and prove just how good he can be when he is on top of his game.