Jadon Sancho has received support from fellow Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford after a cryptic post on social media. Sancho and Rashford were loaned out this summer, with the former heading to Aston Villa and the latter heading to Barcelona, but their temporary stints brought contrasting fortunes.
The 25-year-old is yet to register a goal or assist for Villa Park, having played just 529 minutes in all competitions. Rashford, in contrast, established himself as a regular player in Spain, scoring seven goals and providing 11 assists in 24 games.
Despite Hansi Flick having plenty of attacking options, the 28-year-old is frequently used as a substitute. This was evident in La Liga’s win over Villarreal at the weekend, with the Spanish press reporting their assessment of his short playing time.
Sancho has missed out on two of Villa’s last three games as Unai Emery’s side continue to perform well. Sancho’s latest success came against United, but Sancho was not eligible to play against his parent club.
After that encounter, Sancho shared several images on Instagram, including the words: “You have to fulfill your purpose of being by my side in my new season. It’s really personal.”
The post received likes from United trio Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Tyrell Malasia, while Villa team-mates Amadou Onana, Matty Cash and Ian Maassen also left comments. Sancho is expected to next appear in a Villa shirt in the FA Cup third round match against Tottenham in early January.
Meanwhile, Emery’s side face a daunting series of fixtures, including away trips to Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, as well as a game against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park.
Manchester United, in contrast, found themselves with a much more favorable festive calendar. Following their only Premier League win at home against Newcastle, United welcome Wolves to Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim’s side travel to newly promoted Leeds United and Burnley in the new year. The Red Devils may be forced to play these games without captain Bruno Fernandes, who appeared to suffer a hamstring problem against Villa.
“Bruno is injured so we have to evaluate him. I don’t think he will be able to play for a few games, but we’ll see. We were in a similar situation this time last year, so it won’t kill us. It will make us stronger,” Amorim said.
United have already been without Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt for more than a month at the helm, while Kobie Mainoo has also been suffering some minor problems.
The absence of players like Sancho and Rashford will be keenly felt at Old Trafford, as Amad Diallo, Brian Mbeumo and Nousair Mazraoui will be on international duty at AFCON in the coming weeks.
