Borussia Dortmund blame Man Utd for Jadon Sancho's slow start
- Sancho scored his first goal since returning to Dortmund on Saturday
- Winger had been criticised for some underwhelming form in recent weeks
- Dortmund boss believes Man Utd exile was behind Sancho's struggles
By Tom Gott
Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic believes Jadon Sancho is still working his way back to match fitness after spending so much time on the sidelines at Manchester United.
The winger, who returned to Dortmund on loan in January after falling out with United boss Erik ten Hag, had faced criticism for a handful of underwhelming appearances in Germany before scoring his first goal in Saturday's 2-1 win over Werder Bremen.
It was an excellent strike from Sancho, who breezed past his defender with some lovely skill before slotting home, and Terzic was keen to heap praise on the United loanee after the game.
"Jadon shoots before anyone else sees it," Terzic said. "He's not a player that has a really hard shot or a very precise shot, but he gets his shots away very quickly.
"We were working in training all week on him getting into situations where he can gain confidence. It showed what he is capable of, and hopefully he can continue like this. He's not limiting himself to scoring a goal - it was his entire performance.
"We know he's not 100%, there's no way he can be [after a long lay-off]. But we'll get him there."
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Sporting director Sebastian Kehl compared Sancho's time on the sidelines to that of a serious injury.
"Doing something like that, you can of course see what a great footballer he is," Kehl said. "You can see how he can make the difference, especially in one-on-one situations.
"Everyone is happy for Jadon because they saw how hard he was working and how willing he was to help the team. Goals help. He's had one or two assists before, but this goal will help him and give him a boost.
"You should not forget that he didn't play for a long time. It's like when a player has a cruciate ligament injury and is out for a long time. We need him and we will again on Wednesday and for the coming weeks."
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