Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes an ear infection was a factor behind Jadon Sancho’s poor start to his time at Manchester United.
Sancho joined United in a £73 million deal from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 but the 25-year-old has failed to make an impact at Old Trafford and is currently on loan at Aston Villa.
United are now considering the prospect of allowing Sancho to leave on a free transfer next summer despite having the option to extend his contract for another year to protect his transfer value.
Solskjaer was United manager when Sancho arrived at Old Trafford but the pair worked together for four months before the Norwegian was sacked in November 2021.
‘We wanted to take the next step, not move away from what we had, but add something different,’ Solskjaer said on The Overlap when asked about the decision to sign Sancho.
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‘In the final third, we wanted players who could break teams down, and Jadon, with his skill, link-up play, and little passes around the box, gave us that.
‘He was unlucky, though. Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection. He was in hospital and really struggled for his first 10 days or so before he could even start training with us. That hasn’t really come out before.
‘So, yeah, I never really got to play with him properly, because by the time he was finding form again, I was already on my way out.’
Solskjaer also believes Rashford has ‘found the right balance’ after joining Barcelona on loan in the summer transfer window.
‘I’ve not spoken to Marcus since I’ve left, I text him a little bit but circumstances,’ Solskjaer said.
‘I don’t know what’s happened in his life but you can see he’s certainly enjoying it now in Barcelona.
‘It looked like he didn’t enjoy himself here. I don’t think that’s just Man United, it’s everywhere. All the pressures, every single one is different, we don’t know what’s happened to the players when they walk in in the morning grumpy, that’s the manager’s job: ‘What’s up? I can see something’s wrong’.
‘We don’t know what’s happened, we just want him to do well. He’s an incredible player when he’s in in form and happy, he’s got that energy.
‘I go back to Erling Haaland, just the energy that he shows all the time, when he’s on the pitch, he shows that enthusiasm and energy, that’s the least.
‘But what is it? Life? Too many games? We don’t know but he’s found the right balance.’
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