Jadon Sancho sends four-word message after Paul Pogba completes transfer
Paul Pogba’s career has been given a lifeline and Jadon Sancho will look to follow suit away from Manchester United.
Both Pogba and Sancho have proven to be bad bargains for the Red Devils after their highly-anticipated arrivals in 2016 and 2021 respectively, with almost £200million in transfer fees spent to buy the pair.
Pogba became the world’s most expensive player when Man United paid Juventus £89.3m for him nine years ago, but he departed on a free transfer in 2022 after winning just two trophies in his first season.
Sancho remains on the books at Old Trafford after Chelsea reneged on a £25m agreement to make his loan spell permanent, and his career is in limbo ahead of Ruben Amorim’s first full season in charge.
‘Pogba is back’ as Sancho celebrates Monaco transfer
Although Sancho finds himself at a crossroads after significant underperformance for both Man United and Chelsea in recent seasons, Pogba’s very career was under threat after a doping ban in late 2023.
The midfielder hasn’t played a minute for Juventus since September 2023 after a failed drugs test early in his second season back at the Italian giants, and a four-year ban then consigned him to the sidelines.
That ban was reduced to 18 months on appeal and the 32-year-old signed for Monaco on a free transfer on 28 June, just days after he met up with two current Man United stars in Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro.
Sancho was delighted to see his former team-mate return to top-level football and shared Monaco’s announcement of Pogba’s transfer on his Instagram story (28 June), accompanied by the message of: “PP is back!”
Man United message clear for out-of-favour Sancho
Football Insider Verdict
Pogba’s plight during and after his time at Old Trafford should act as a warning for Sancho as he weighs up his future, after Chelsea paid a £5m penalty to ensure they wouldn’t have to sign him this summer.
Sancho’s massive wage demands were the key reason behind Chelsea’s attempts to pull out of their loan obligation, after several seasons’ worth of performances in which he’s failed to justify those demands.
A doping ban and spending over a year away from the game isn’t on the cards for Sancho, but the onus is certainly on him to either prove his worth to Amorim, or earn a move which can rebuild an ailing career.