Manchester United have taken a mischievous swipe at Borussia Dortmund after the two clubs finally wrapped up Jadon Sancho’s £72.9m transfer.
The tricky 21-year-old's protracted switch to Manchester has taken almost two years to be completed.
He was first earmarked as a target way back when Jose Mourinho was in the Old Trafford dugout, but a deal couldn’t be struck.
Mourinho’s replacement, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, had high hopes that he’d get his man last summer, but Dortmund stuck to their guns and refused to budge from their astronomical asking price of £120m – a figure United refused to meet.
But Sancho’s blockbuster deal was finally confirmed on Friday, with United prising the English attacker away from Germany.
And now United have hit back at Dortmund’s antics with a cheeky social media post.
After digging their heels in last summer, Sancho was forced to stay put for another year in Germany despite agreeing personal terms for the switch, Dortmund teased United with a tongue-in-cheek social media post of the player on social media with the caption: ‘You love to see it’.
Fast forward 12 months later and United have hit back following the drawn-out saga’s conclusion, with an image of Sancho at his unveiling with an identical caption to the one their transfer rivals had used last year.
Sancho has sparkled since his arrival at Dortmund from Manchester City as a teenager in 2017, netting an impressive 50 goals in 137 appearances, which led to United's lengthy pursuit for his services.
His growth in Germany has led to international recognition, with Sancho returning to his home of Manchester as an established figure in the England national team.
Sancho said: "I’ll always be grateful to Dortmund for giving me the opportunity to play first team football, although I always knew that I would return to England one day.
"The chance to join Manchester United is a dream come true and I just cannot wait to perform in the Premier League.
"This is a young and exciting squad and I know, together, we can develop into something special to bring the success that the fans deserve. I am looking forward to working with the Manager and his coaching team to further develop my game."
Sancho’s new manager, Solskjaer, said: "Jadon epitomises the type of player I want to bring to the club, he is a forward player in the best traditions of Manchester United.
"He will form an integral part of my squad for years to come and we look forward to seeing him blossom.
"His goals and assists records speak for themselves and he will also bring tremendous pace, flair and creativity to the team."