Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke believes Jadon Sancho's poor form is down his failed move to Manchester United.
Watzke believes Sancho 'had already prepared for a change' when United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward refused to meet Dortmund's £108m asking price following the financial ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a result, Watzke believes Sancho is feeling the pressure - stating that he has lost his creativity and has become a 'tenth of a second slower' on the ball.
The Dortmund chief told Kicker: 'Subconsciously, Jadon had probably already prepared a little for a change.
'I think he had at least thought so much about it that he lost his ease. I have found him trying very hard for weeks.'
'The biggest difference is that he used to not think about his next ball action.
'Now he thinks about it, and the tenth of a second that he misses is often exactly the one in which the opponent is already on his feet.
'The more you try as a creative person, the more difficult it often becomes.'
Sancho has seen his form slump this season having previously attracted the attention of Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Sancho scored 17 goals and registered 17 assists last season. Whereas the youngster has only managed five goals in 19 appearances so far this term.
However, after seven games without a goal, Sancho finally ended his scoring drought against Eintracht Braunschweig.
Sancho provided the first goal for Edin Terzic's men as they knocked the second-tier club out of the German Cup in the second round.
Sancho went on to score again in Dortmund's 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg at the weekend.
Watzke believes the youngster will return to his best following his recent performances.
He said: 'I think he needs two or three success stories in a row, then things will quickly improve again. He is still one of the greatest talents there is.'