da pinup bet： After the England winger finally found an escape route from Old Trafford, GOAL assesses the stories of revival that he can draw inspiration from
da heads bet： “Happiness, enjoyment, fun and energy." Those were the words Jadon Sancho used to describe the emotions of escaping his exile at Manchester United and sealing a loan return to the club where he truly made his name, Borussia Dortmund.
After four months on the sidelines having felt the wrath of hard-line United boss Erik ten Hag way back in September for a social media outburst in which he claimed he'd been made a scapegoat, the winger will be determined to have a new lease of life back in the Bundesliga.
He's started well enough, contributing assists in consecutive games since his heralded return, but history dictates that becoming an outcast can often signal the beginning of the end for even the most talented players.
GOAL looks at the success stories Sancho can draw inspiration from as he looks to rebuild his career…
GettyZlatan Ibrahimovic
Pep Guardiola commands the respect of his peers throughout the football world, but one man who seemed determined to undermine him was Zlatan during their time together at Barcelona.
Ibrahimovic lasted just a single season under the revered tactician as their relationship quickly deteriorated. The Swede was scathing of how Guardiola deployed him in his side, writing in his autobiography: “It started well but then [Lionel] Messi started to talk. He wanted to play in the middle, not on the wing, so the system changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed and no longer had the freedom on the pitch I need to succeed." He added: “You bought a Ferrari, but you drive it like a Fiat.”
Despite being at odds with his manager, Ibrahimovic would still have 34 goal involvements come the end of the season, but the damage was already done. He would, of course, go on to have a glittering career, firing AC Milan to a Scudetto the following year and hoarding trophies at Paris Saint-Germain before repeating the trick with he Rossoneri.
AdvertisementGettyKevin De Bruyne
It seems completely unfathomable now that assist king De Bruyne could fall out of favour given the world-class quality he possesses, but that's the fate that befell him when working under infamously volatile manager Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
Having returned from a successful loan at Wolfsburg in 2013, De Bruyne swiftly found himself out of favour. Shedding light on the situation in in 2019, the Belgian said: "After the fourth game, that was it. I was on the bench and I never really got a chance again. I didn’t get an explanation. I was just out of favour for some reason.
"I was completely honest. I said, 'I feel like the club doesn’t really want me here. I want to play football. I’d rather you sell me'."
The rest, as they say, is history, with De Bruyne returning to Wolfsburg in January 2014 and going on to become one of the best midfielders on the planet following his return to England with Manchester City, where he has won everything there is to win.
GettyRomelu Lukaku
Although he largely only had himself to blame, Lukaku's dream, £100 million ($127m) Chelsea comeback swiftly became a nightmare as he fell foul of temperamental former head coach Thomas Tuchel.
A long goal drought preceded the release of an ill-advised interview with Italian media where he questioned how he was being used by his manager and professed his love for former club Inter. He would never recover from that, having alienated Tuchel, the fans and likely some of his team-mates.
Following an unsuccessful loan return to Inter, where he managed to irk another whole fanbase with his flirtations with Juventus in the summer, Lukaku returned to Chelsea before being sent out to Roma. While he not the same explosive striker that persuaded the Blues to part with nine figures in 2021, with 15 goals to his name, the Belgian has shown his best form in some time.
Getty ImagesMason Greenwood
There was never likely to be a way back for Greenwood at Manchester United after he was accused of attempted rape, coercive and controlling behaviour and assault, even after the charges were dropped in February 2023.
After a seemingly muddled internal inquiry into whether the academy product could be reintegrated, it was eventually decided that Greenwood would be loaned out rather than sold, with his contract due to expire in 2025.
The 22-year-old subsequently moved to La Liga for the season, joining Getafe. Despite spending so long away from the pitch having been suspended by United in January 2022, the forward has performed surprisingly well – contributing a combined nine goals and assists for a mid-table side.