Danny Mills has told Jadon Sancho he should think carefully before ditching Borussia Dortmund and joining Manchester United this summer, with a warning that the move could be a step backwards.
Sancho became one of European football’s hottest properties last summer after a stunning season in the Bundesliga seeing him linked with a plethora of European giants.
The England international has stepped it up a gear this term, having scored 17 goals and assisted 19 others in 35 appearances and now reportedly tops Manchester United’s list of targets for the summer transfer window.
A report recently suggested Sancho had three reasons for wanting to complete a move to Old Trafford.
More strongly, it was claimed earlier this week that Sancho had given the green light to move to United this summer, with fellow suitors Chelsea and Liverpool now cooling their interest after being made aware of the 20-year-old’s choice.
Furthermore, it was suggested the player will wear the No 7 shirt and will opt to move to United regardless of whether the club secure Champions League football or not.
However, former Manchester City and Leeds full-back Mills fears a move Old Trafford could be a step back for Sancho and reckons he should be asking the club a lot of questions before committing to the transfer.
“If I was Jadon Sancho I’d be wanting to ask the questions: ‘Who else are you bringing in?’” Mills told talkSPORT.
“‘What other signings have you got lined up? What is the squad going to look like next season? Are you realistically going to be challenging for things?’
“‘Who is going to be the manager? Is it still going to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer next season?’
“He’s in a position of strength at the moment. He wants to go and win things, that’s the most important thing.
“He’s going from a fantastic club, he’s gone through his development phase, he’s now going to start hitting the peak development phase and he wants that to be the best years.
“There’s no point going to Manchester United next season if they’re going to finish sixth or seventh.”
A move to Old Trafford is certainly something his old teammate Kevin De Bruyne is fearing!
Woodward message to Sancho
United chiefs are increasingly confident of persuading Sancho to move to Old Trafford, having failed to do so last summer, according to a report on Thursday.
As per the Evening Standard, United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has promised Sancho a stellar role in Solskjaer’s rebuild, which has shown signs of taking shape in recent months.
Having endured their worst start to a league season in 30 years, United were unbeaten in 11 matches before the season was brought to a halt.
January signings Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo have earned huge credit for their roles in that run, the pair scoring seven goals between them since they arrived in Manchester.
What’s more, the 11-match unbeaten run has been put together without Marcus Rashford, who had scored 19 goals in 31 appearances before a serious back injury stopped him in his tracks.
The Evening Standard adds that Rashford could have a telling impact in convincing Sancho; the striker made a public plea on social media about his hope of playing alongside fellow England international Sancho, with the pair understood to be good friends.
The newspaper says that the relationship between the two could be key, given that Sancho followed Chelsea growing up, with the Blues also said to be in the race for his signature.
United have also been linked with a £70m swoop for Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt, having also tracked him last summer, but the Red Devils have been sent a very firm message over links to the 20-year-old.
