Manchester United have been warned about signing Jadon Sancho by former United coach Steve McClaren who said the 20-year-old is not the player United should have prioritised. He reckons that the player United should have signed Erling Haaland who is a player that would have fit into the squad. United were strongly linked to the 20-year-old in January but he signed for Borussia Dortmund from RB Salzburg instead and he has risen to become a player that will have a lot of interest going forward.
United will need to spend £108 million to sign his teammate Sancho this summer with United already missing the 10 August deadline to sign the player, seemingly still remaining confident of a possible deal to sign the player despite the Bundesliga club stating that they plan on having the player at the club for the 2020/21 season. McClaren told talkSPORT that he believes United have many players similar to Sancho at the club already and that Haaland would have been the more logical signing. He said:
“The front four are so quick, they’re so exciting and they cause so many problems, and Martial is a fantastic player, but in the big games when it really matters he never looks like a true goalscorer.
“They need class in that position. I don’t think [Romelu] Lukaku fit into what Manchester United are all about, that high intensity, and I think they need that.
“The manager is helpless if the club don’t back him and go for the likes of Haaland. What a perfect fit he would have been. I’ve seen him for Dortmund and he’s an incredible player at 20.
“Imagine him in the Man United team, that would be spot on. So they’re not far away, but they have to spend the money and get the right players.”
Speaking about Sancho, the former United coach spoke about the Dortmund player not being a number nine, which is a position that United would go a long way in signing and that the England winger is similar to Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Mason Greenwood and he wondered if United really needed another player in the same mould as the trio. He might have a point but Greenwood could thrive playing centrally with Sancho on the right and Martial on the left, Rashford playing a different role. McClaren concluded by saying:
“I’ve seen Jadon Sancho play a lot for Dortmund and he’s very, very exciting, but he’s a little bit like Martial, [Marcus] Rashford and [Mason] Greenwood and I wonder, do they really need that?
“He’s not a No 9, and Martial, Rashford and Greenwood aren’t that either. You’ve got to get a fox in the box, a goalscorer and No 9 and they’ve got to find one quick.
“Yes, Sancho would improve the squad, but to win big games and to win cups, you need a No 9 and you need two damn good centre-backs. Haaland would have been perfect; a young talented striker, a No 9 who can play under pressure – they’re difficult to find.”
United have also been warned not to chase Sancho for the entire summer transfer window. Back in 2013, United could have signed Marouane Fellaini for £23.5 million at the start of the window but ended up paying £4 million more on deadline day, chasing Cesc Fabregas and others in a summer that David Moyes and Ed Woodward failed the club. The Sun has reported that United cannot afford to wait and should get their number one target signed as soon as they are able to. You can learn a lot from history and United could learn by looking back at theirs, which is recent.
In another report by The Sun, it is stated that Dortmund do not need to sell Sancho this summer, which could be another opportunity for the club to try and hurry United into completing the deal for the winger this summer. Of course, it could be the German clubs way of telling the club that their chance could have come and gone to get the transfer completed. United were told to pay £108 million for the winger and had until the 10 August to sign him and ever since, the club has continued to make noises suggesting that the player will remain at the club and they do not need to sell. It seems so public to be true. I guess we will have to wait and see what the end game will be.
Written by John Walker
