From a £73m Man Utd mega signing with the world at his feet to talk of retirement by 28: The sad and sorry decline of Jadon Sancho

In a way, Sancho was doomed to fail at Old Trafford from the start. He was identified to line up on the right flank by then-United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Marcus Rashford blocking his path to a spot on the left - his preferred and most effective position.

An ear infection also led to Sancho being hospitalised, which delayed his integration into the squad, and he thusly looked well off the pace in his early appearances in the 2021-22 campaign. The City academy graduate was ultimately unable to build up any rhythm, not helped by United's struggles for cohesion and the mid-season shift of coach from Solskjaer to Ralf Rangnick.

Erik ten Hag replaced Solskjaer on a permanent basis ahead of the 2022-23 season, and Sancho got off to a good start under the Dutchman, scoring vital goals in wins over Liverpool and Leicester from the left side. But by October, his fitness and confidence levels plummeted and he lost his place in the team, failing to make the England plane for the 2022 World Cup as a consequence.

Sancho then spent the next three months on the sidelines as Ten Hag placed him on an individual training programme, citing "physical and mental" concerns. He came back to play a part in United's run to the Carabao Cup and a third-place Premier League finish, but only scored seven goals overall, two more than the previous season, and equalled his measly return of three assists.

Sancho came off the bench in all of United's first three Premier League games in 2023-24, the last of which was a 3-2 comeback victory over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford. Incredibly, that turned out to be his last appearance for the club in a major competition.

Ten Hag left Sancho out of United's subsequent clash with Arsenal, criticising his performance in training, which sparked a furious response from the England international on social media. Sancho claimed he was being made a "scapegoat" and vehemently defended his conduct in a statement that only made the situation ten times worse.

He refused to apologise to Ten Hag, who then exiled him from the squad, and it was reported that Sancho was barred from the club's facilities, including the first-team canteen. He spent the next four months training alone or with academy players, his United career effectively in ruins.

It was a mistake for Sancho to go to war with Ten Hag. Had he just bitten the bullet and worked to win the manager around, things might have been different, especially considering the Dutchman had started to lose his way, and the support of the fans. The 26-year-old winger could well have outlasted him and rebuilt his reputation.

Instead, Sancho returned to Dortmund on loan in January, and although he impressed in familiar surroundings, particularly in the Champions League as BVB made it all the way to the final, it naturally increased the sense of disassociation from United. He reported back for pre-season and tentatively mended relations with Ten Hag, playing seven minutes in the 2024-25 Community Shield against former club City (and missing a penalty as United suffered a shootout loss), but was then loaned out to Chelsea, who also agreed to the inclusion of a £25m ($34m) obligation to buy clause in the deal.

United sacked Ten Hag that October, following a 2-1 loss to West Ham that left them 14th in the league table, but Sancho did not get the last laugh. He made 42 appearances for Chelsea, but only half of those came as a starter, and he completed a full 90 minutes just four times.

A memorable goal against Tottenham and his strike in Chelsea's Conference League final win over Real Betis aside, Sancho was a disappointment. The Blues couldn't rely on him to open up defences consistently, and it wasn't much of a surprise when they paid a £5m penalty fee to United to back out of the permanent transfer.

By that time, there was no chance of Sancho getting another opportunity at United. New manager Ruben Amorim immediately placed the attacker in his infamous 'bomb squad', again forced to train away from the first-team squad as the club looked to offload him.

Aston Villa eventually closed a loan deal for Sancho on September 1, buoyed by the success of a similar arrangement for Marcus Rashford the previous season. But Sancho did not make the same impact as his United team-mate at Villa Park.

Unai Emery mainly used Sancho as a late-game substitute, including from the 81st-minute of the Europa League final, as Villa thrashed Freiburg 3-0 to win their first continental trophy in 44 years. That was Sancho's third European final in as many loan seasons - a unique feat, but not one that has gone towards justifying his status as a £73m footballer.

United initially paid that fee, and his reported 300,000 per-week salary, for him to be a leading figure in their bid to return to the very top of the game. The fact they ended up paying for him to play elsewhere three times was a public humiliation for the club, with Sancho destined to go down as one of the biggest flop signings in their entire history.

United experienced their third managerial change of the INEOS-led ownership era in January, with Amorim making way for Michael Carrick. The beloved former Red Devils midfielder was quizzed about Sancho's situation in March, and gave a thoughtful answer that aptly summed up why the 26-year-old has not lived up to expectations.

"In and around the box; his ball carrying; his little plays; the connections; his creativity; the way he handles the ball - he's got natural ability," Carrick said, having also worked with Sancho as part of Solskjaer's staff, and in a three-game stint as interim boss after the Norwegian's departure. "He's always had it all the way coming through. That's one part of football. But - and I'm not talking about Jadon individually on this - it is just how it is and how it should be.

"You can't just assume it's all going to be smooth. It's proven that it's not always like that. You've got to find a way through it. If you are playing in a good team with good players and a good squad and depth, that's part of the challenge to stay at the top."

Everything certainly ran smoothly for Sancho at Dortmund, which allowed him to play without any inhibitions. The pressure is far greater at United, however, and he wasn't equipped to deal with it. He stopped running at defenders and taking risks in the final third as fear appeared to begin clouding his thinking.

Carrick's comments briefly generated speculation United would trigger their one-year extension option on Sancho, but that was never going to happen. INEOS wanted his wages off their books, and the harsh reality is the team is better off without him.

What comes next for Sancho is anyone's guess. According to Sky Sports, he has agreements in principle with several clubs across Europe and the Middle East, and is currently assessing his options.

Borussia Dortmund were linked with a third swoop for Sancho earlier this year, and BILD has reported this week that they are indeed keeping the door ajar, albeit while holding reservations about his fitness and ability to still deliver at the highest level. Sancho's best performance in the last five years came at Dortmund, when he outshone Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in their surprise 2024 Champions League semi-final win over PSG, but that now feels like an anomaly.

Most big European clubs probably have the same opinion as Dortmund and will be hesitant to roll the dice on Sancho. He may have no choice but to accept a significant step down in quality, or find himself drawn to the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia or Qatar.

Sancho was recently spotted training at Flixton, who compete in English football's tenth tier, sparking online talk that he was on trial, and the club felt compelled to release a statement confirming he merely used their facilities for a private session. The situation is certainly not that desperate for Sancho yet, but he is no longer an attractive asset for the elite.

One Villa supporter who wasn't sad to see the back of Sancho was Gabby Agbonlahor, who sits second on the list of the club's all-time top Premier League goalscorers. The former striker said in a scathing rant on talkSPORT: "Come to Aston Villa last season, everyone thought Emery can produce miracles. But he couldn't produce a miracle with Jadon Sancho. Had two decent halves during his time at Aston Villa. Couldn't get past a player. Lacked the pace. Lacked the end product as well. I don't think there's a club that's going to offer him £50,000 a week now."

Agbonlahor added: "I just think he's not as good as he used to be. And sometimes players go off, don't they? There's many players that have hit the ground running at 18, 19 and then by 26… There's reasons behind that. It just hasn't worked for Jadon Sancho. I do worry about him now. Could he be one of those players that's retired at 28? It wouldn't surprise me."

Netherlands icon Marco van Basten hung up his boots at 28 due to a chronic ankle injury, and George Best stopped at the same age while battling off-field issues, but there are no other high-profile examples. Sancho has plenty of years left in the tank, it's just a matter of whether he still has the hunger.

If not, we won't see him at a club the size of United again, or wearing an England shirt. Sancho must decide how he wants to be remembered: as a gifted youngster who peaked far too soon, or a fighter who learned from his mistakes and proved his critics wrong. At the moment, he's firmly in the first camp.