Former Borussia Dortmund ace Jadon Sancho scored his second goal of the season for Manchester United in their 1-0 win against Leicester City in the Premier League.
It was only under three weeks ago that the idea ofUnited sitting fifth in the Premier League on the night the transfer window closed would have sounded almost ludicrous, if not preposterous.
Having to kickstart the season with two successive defeats, coupled with a definitely unenviable trolley dash around Europe window-shopping for the likes of Adrien Rabiot and Marko Arnautovic had put the mood amongst the Old Trafford faithful at its lowest ebb for years.
But somehow the situation has been positively salvaged as United have managed to convince Real Madrid’s Casemiro and Eric Ten Hag’s former protegé Antony to join the beleaguered club since then, two quality additions that make one question their having even looked at Rabiot and Arnautovic. On top of that, three back-to-back victories seem to have put the prospect of Champions League qualification back on the table.
The Old Trafford hordes of disenchanted fans should now be at least thankful a transfer window spend of £225million has ticked more boxes for United and Erik ten Hag, but now the one main nagging concern is where the goals would be coming from, especially if Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be sidelined by Ten Hag despite being left with no alternative but to remain at Old Trafford for want of any suitors.
The 37-year-old wantaway has been compelled to face stark reality in a most uncompromising manner to which he must surely be unaccustomed to, and now his chances of regular football at United aren’t even guaranteed, which must come as a smack in the face for the star known to have a proclivity to sulk when things don’t go his way.
The outing against Leicester was the third successive start on the bench for the Portugal international, although admittedly his cameo in the East Midlands was much more befitting his stature in the top echelons than the struggles he endured at St Mary’s on Saturday.
United have now managed to climb the table with four goals in three games and albeit their defensive stance against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City has been committed and aggressive, they clearly still need to produce a lot more in the final third.
What must have been most heartwarming to United fans was that the first half at the King Power Stadium brought their most fluent 45 minutes yet under Ten Hag. Unfortunately, for all the slick football and clever movement on the pitch, the chances were still glaringly missing. That of course remains a work in progress that should place a premium on the opportunities that should hopefully arrive.
As for the strikers, Marcus Rashford has been a regular starter twice in a week but without building on his performance against Liverpool. With regards to Anthony Martial and the glimpse of promise he had shown in pre-season, he has all of seven goals in his last 60 games. Which is more reason for United need to make sure this is a collective effort and not sporadic individual sprees when it comes to goalscoring, which is again why the early season form of Jadon Sancho is so pleasing to the eyes.
Although the 22-year-old had looked like being a long-term fixture on the right in pre-season, the £85.5million addition of Ajax’s Antony will see him move back to the left, where he has started recently.
It was Sancho’s incisive running in from that position that produced his second goal of the campaign, one undoubtedly taken with as much class, composure and artful flair as his first.
The former Dortmund winger turned Liverpool’s defence inside out to finish brilliantly at Old Trafford a week-and-a-half ago and when he latched on to Marcus Rashford’s pass at the King Power Stadium his thinking and execution under pressure were perfect, a flashback to his scinitillating moments in the Bundesliga.
Running with speed onto the pass, he took one forceful first touch and raced around Danny Ward before calmly slotting the ball into an empty net, a move that would have earned praise from even Lionel Messi.
With just five goals in 38 games for United last season, the pressure is immense not for negotiation on United to improve on that tally this term.
Let’s also not forget that when Antony and Sancho are starting together, United will be utilising wingers they’ve spent more than £160million on and for that sort of money doled out, they both need to provide consistent goal threats. Resulting in real goals, needless to say, something that Sancho is now providing evidence of.