England prodigy Jadon Sancho has revealed why he chose to join Borussia Dortmund in 2017 despite interest from a 'crazy' number of clubs.
The former Manchester City youngster has gone from strength to strength in the German top flight, scoring seven times and sharing top spot for assists with Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich on nine.
Sancho left the Etihad for £8million despite the club's determination to keep hold of him.
And he has now seen as a trailblazer for English talent seeking more first team opportunities overseas.
'Why Dortmund? It speaks for itself: youngsters get opportunities,' the eighteen-year-old told the latest issue of FourFourTwo.
'You've got to thank Dortmund, because it's unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters.
'It was crazy how many clubs wanted me – it shows how well you're doing, but I always felt Dortmund was right for me.'
Sancho was capped three times by England in 2018, rounding off an explosive year that he described as the best of his life.
Germany is quickly becoming a hotbed for the next generation of Three Lions talent.
Last month saw Arsenal's England U17 World Cup winner Emile Smith Rowe join RB Leipzig on loan, while another Manchester City academy product, Welsh winger Rabbi Matondo, followed in Sancho's footsteps by joining Schalke for a reported £10million.
Sancho admitted moving abroad was a risk, but he encouraged other youngsters to take the plunge to get coveted game-time.
'Of course it was a big risk,' he added.
'I wasn't guaranteed playing time, and I had to prove I was good enough to fit in with their side.
'A few people weren't sure when I first told them about Dortmund, but I felt this was the best journey for me.
'Just try it, you know? I like trying new things, so it didn't really faze me. A few asked me, 'What if it doesn't work out?' but I never thought about that. And look at how it's worked out now...'
Starkkan
35
As a City fan I was sorry that he decided to leave us, however he had the skills and the confidence to back himself to play for a big European club. I'm pleased it's worked out for him because in the long term the England side will benefit. We brought in a couple of Germans, a young winger and a international midfielder, who haven't turned out to be too bad. People forget that Pep brought in players from a league he knew (Sane & Gundogan playing in the Bundesliga), where as young Sancho was still playing in a City youth team. Pep knew Jadon had talent but if player wants to go what can a club do. It's not always about money.