Sancho should be a guaranteed starter for England and not just a consideration
Competition for places in attack have rarely been so exciting for England heading into the first international break of 2019. Gareth Southgate has endless talent at his disposal and his task ahead of this year’s UEFA Nations League finals and Euro 2020 will be to piece together the right combination.
The Three Lions boss has not even been able to call on some of his regular attackers for upcoming matches against Czech Republic and Montenegro but still has Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho to pick from. The aforementioned trio have all done well since Southgate’s appointment in 2016, but it is Sancho’s form for Borussia Dortmund that has given the England head coach the biggest headache, albeit a welcomed one.
Sancho bypassed England’s Under-20 and Under-21s to make his full Three Lions debut in October and Southgate has reportedly told the teen he will not go to the European Championships this summer with the Under-21s in order to help the senior squad win the UEFA Nations Finals in June. Even at the age of 18, Sancho’s performances for Dortmund this season should make him a guaranteed starter and not just a consideration for Southgate.
The teenager winger is already being linked with a blockbuster move to Manchester United and it is little wonder Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are monitoring the Dortmund starlet. Only Lionel Messi has registered as many assists as Sancho in Europe’s top five leagues this season (12), a breathtaking statistic for someone so young. What’s more, Sancho has also netted eight times in the Bundesliga this season, meaning he has been directly involved in 20 goals.
Sancho’s performances have been even more impressive since the start of December. While Dortmund appear to have lost their nerve in the Bundesliga title race, Sancho has at least ensured that they are level with Bayern Munich with eight matches remaining. In that time, only Messi (7) has won the WhoScored Man of the Match award more times than Sancho (6) in Europe’s top five leagues. Among those star man displays have been matches against Gladbach, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen, in which Sancho has either been decisive in victory or ensured Dortmund have avoided defeat.
Players at Sancho’s age usually fall short in big matches, which makes his performances even more eye-catching. Sancho’s goals and assists have earned Dortmund an extra 18 points this season, representing 28% of their total haul. Without them, Dortmund would be down in sixth and five points off fourth. Moreover, only Paul Pogba (19 points), Eden Hazard (20), Messi (20) and Nicolas Pepe (25) have been more valuable than Sancho, earning their sides more points.
Pep Guardiola claimed Sancho didn't fancy the challenge of becoming a star at Manchester City but his decision to move abroad at 17 took real courage and has catapulted him into superstardom. Sancho is a trailblazer. Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe have also made the switch, with German sides keen on hoovering up all the best young English talents wasting away in Premier League academies.
Sancho started the season with six assists in his first seven league appearances and all of those were as a substitute. Rarely does a player, especially a teenager, maintain that form all season, but the bubble is yet to burst for Sancho and it’s because of this that he must be a starter for Southgate. He is not only the future, but he is also the present.
