The Sancho comments that could give Man Utd a transfer clue

When you speak to one of Jadon Sancho's earliest coaches at Watford not many questions go by without reference to the winger's "courage" and "resilience".

These are two character traits that have shone through in the way he's navigated his career so far, leaving home to move from Watford to Manchester City at the age of 14, before turning down the chance to stay at the Etihad to chase first-team football with Borussia Dortmund when he was only 17.

Sancho has always had a strong head on his shoulders and the courage to follow the belief he has in his own talent. That may well lead to his departure from the Bundesliga this summer, having set the league alight at the age of 19 this season. He turned 20 last week.

Manchester United are interesting in making Sancho a key piece of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's rebuild and Sancho's ambition to play for the biggest clubs on the continent was clear even as a 13-year-old, when he was being guided by former Watford youth coach Louis Lancaster.

"I always ask players 'what's the dream?'. From a young age he made it very clear he wanted to play for his country and represent Europe's biggest clubs and make his family proud," Lancaster told the MEN.

"He's not the sort of character to sit back and say I've done it now, life's complete. I bet you any money he's got some more challenges in his head."

Those could be individual as well as team targets, according to 38-year-old Lancaster, who has since coached in China and taken charge of the Taiwan national team.

"He could play for any club in Europe and winning is an unbelievable feeling, but the sort of character he is he's got his sights set on individual targets as well," he said.

"I haven't spoken to him about this but I reckon somewhere in that head is a Ballon d'Or. It's important in life to have something to chase and I think that might be what he's chasing."

Sancho has a remarkable 14 goals and 16 assists in 23 Bundesliga games this season, before football across Europe was suspended amid the coronavirus outbreak.

That incredible form has led to an expectation he will leave Dortmund this summer, but the talent is no surprise to Lancaster, who is only disappointed he had to leave the Premier League to prove it to everyone in the first place.

"I met Jadon in 2013, in the summer we had a reduced programme and we had a mixed bag so 12 to 16-year-olds in one group," recalls Lancaster.

"If you've got an elite player they need to be unbelievable in their own age group, if they go up an age group they just need to be good, if they go up two age groups they just need to survive. He was 13 and he was the best player there, it was effortless."

Lancaster used to change his training sessions up at Watford to try and test Sancho, who wanted to be continually pushed and tested as he developed.

And the way he adapted to some of those challenges highlight the winning mentality that the teenager has taken on to the biggest stage.

"We had 16 players so to challenge him and push him sometimes we'd do 10 v 6 and he relished that. Normally we do the losers put the goals away or do sprints, but we did 10 v 6 and the winners will do sprints," said Lancaster.

"His team of six won, he scored the winner, ran straight to the line and called his team in for sprints. The losers came over and wanted to do them as well but he waved them away. That's his attitude and mentality."

That mentality is backed up by that belief in his own ability and his desire to make bold decisions for the good of his own development.

"He's got incredible courage, to live away from his family at a young age, he's moved from the south of England to the north of England, then he's moved to Germany at 17, that takes a lot of courage," said Lancaster, who insists those traits would see him embrace the spotlight that comes with being a Manchester United player, rather than shrink in it as so many others have done down the years.

And if he does move to United in the next transfer window, Lancaster believes there is plenty more to come from Sancho.

"I can categorically say, hand on my heart, the world has only seen a little glimpse of what he can become. There's more to come," he said.

"I remember sitting him down once and telling him there's a difference between playing a game of football and contributing to a game of football, what are you bringing to the party? Every game he plays he is contributing and being a part of something, getting goals or assists, being involved."