Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho is believed to have been left out of England’s 26-man World Cup squad this month due to his slump in form at club level.
Sancho has struggled for consistent form since his £73m return to English football following a hugely successful spell at Borussia Dortmund. He has shown flashes of what he is capable of in a United shirt, but has often flattered to cheat under three different managers.
The former Manchester City academy player was becoming an England regular while at Dortmund. He also went to Euro 2020 last year, although he only managed 97 minutes in total.
Sancho was ruled out of the England squad in September 2021 due to a minor injury. He was recalled the following month and provided two assists in a World Cup qualifying win over Andorra. But he was left on the bench against Hungary a few days later and has not been called up since.
The Telegraph reported that Sancho was not selected in the final World Cup squad ‘purely on the basis of his overall performance’ at club level. The 22-year-old has missed a handful of recent games through illness but has been disappointing on several occasions since the start of the campaign.
Although form was the reason he was left out of the group that travels to Qatar next week, it has also been reported that Sancho was late for the England team meeting ahead of the aforementioned Andorra game. Gareth Southgate has a strict rule that meetings only start when everyone is presented, meaning the rest of the squad has to wait for Sancho to arrive.
During his final season at Dortmund alone, Sancho scored a combined 36 goals and provided 38 assists in all competitions. In 52 games for United, he has produced a third of that output.