90min

Man Utd Twitter Melts Down (Finally!) as Jadon Sancho Is Left on Borussia Dortmund's Bench

By Adam Aladay

Borussia Moenchengladbach v Borussia Dortmund - Bundesliga
Borussia Moenchengladbach v Borussia Dortmund - Bundesliga / DeFodi Images/Getty Images
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Football!

After what feels like an eternity, European football has returned in Germany. And what better way to kick things off than a derby, eh?

Sure, they may be no fans, but Borussia Dortmund and Schalke needed no extra motivation for this clash. With football yet to return elsewhere in Europe due to the coronavirus, fans from across the continent have been selecting their preferred Bundesliga teams to support during this period. For some though, it didn't matter who they were supporting, just that football was once again on live television...

As a recap, Borussia Dortmund found themselves sat in second place in the Bundesliga on 51 points, four points behind leaders Bayern Munich before play was halted. As for Schalke, they occupy sixth place in the table.

As a result, while it wouldn't be easy for both players to immediately settle into their rhythm, a win was particularly crucial for Dortmund as it would see them move within just one point of Bayern.

So, naturally, you'd expect Lucien Favre to have named his strongest XI for the clash.

But this wasn't the case. Instead, there were was one notable glaring omission.

Jadon Sancho. The young forward started on the bench due to a slight muscle strain.

A minute (give or take a few) doesn't go by these days without Sancho being linked with a move away from his current club, notably to Manchester United. A mega money move continues to be discussed and with the summer transfer window approaching (whenever it does open), United fans will have been keen to take the time to tune in while they can and watch the young forward in action.

But they would have to wait as Sancho was dropped to the bench. Instead, 17-year-old Gio Reyna was named in the starting lineup for the first time. Immediately, as you'd expect, the Twitter crowd were quick to pick up on how this may 'influence' a move away...

Meanwhile, a couple of users decided that this decision basically all-but confirmed that Dortmund had no intention of keeping hold of their star man...

As for the Manchester United fans themselves, well, it's safe to say they had formed a general consensus that the transfer was 100% sealed and the player was due for his medical the next day...

Others, however, just weren't pleased that they wouldn't get to watch Sancho from the start...

Despite the never-ending Jadon Sancho to Manchester United links, another major talking point was, of course, Gio Reyna starting his first league game. Unfortunately for him, he suffered an injury during the warm and had to be replaced by Thorgan Hazard. A cruel blow for the youngster...

It may not be quite like how it was, but one thing is for certain, football never fails to entertain and amaze. Welcome back, we've missed you.