Erik ten Hag’s use of Jadon Sancho and Wout Weghorst in his Manchester United team is fascinating, with a video breaking down the duo’s roles going viral.
United are currently third in the Premier League table thanks to a sensational run of form in the post-World Cup break. The Red Devils have only lost one game since then and are five points behind league leaders Arsenal.
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He’s got the full buy-in of his entire squad. Ten Hag perhaps hasn’t managed any as well as Sancho.
The 22-year-old joined United from Borussia Dortmund for £73 million in 2021, struggling to make an impact in his debut campaign. Sancho started this term in fine form, scoring against Liverpool and Leicester City, but that started to dry up.
He spent an extended period out of the team after being left out of England’s squad that jetted to Qatar, making an emotional return in Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Nottingham Forest earlier this month.
Ten Hag admitted Sancho was struggling ‘mentally and physically’ before his first-team comeback. Since then, Sancho has scored against Leeds United and Leicester again, putting in his best performance in a United shirt against the Foxes on Sunday.
Sancho, who was signed as a winger, operated in a central role and Bruno Fernandes filled in on the right-hand side.
In a video produced by @htomufc on Twitter, the content creator explained Fernandes’ shift out wide is because he’s more adept at tracking back to begin defensive transitions.
In the meantime, Sancho can put his technical ability and weight of pass to good use as he’s not the fastest player on the red side of Manchester.
Weghorst, meanwhile, joined on a season-long loan from Burnley last month following Cristiano Ronaldo’s abrupt departure.
He’s only scored one goal in that time, with some supporters lamenting his failure to turn home vital chances. What he does offer, if not goals, is the ability to be a nuisance for defenders with his movement.
The video shows space Weghorst occupies to help United’s other forwards. There’s a reason Marcus Rashford is thriving in the second half of the season. You can check out the video below.
It ends with a breakdown of Ten Hag’s skill of identifying a player’s skillset. Weghorst is six foot five but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be firing crosses into the box.
United return to action against Barcelona in the second leg of their Europa League playoff on Thursday evening. The tie is currently 2-2 following a thrilling encounter at the Camp Nou.
The club then has a chance to win its first piece of silverware since 2017 when they take on Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
SOURCE: sportbible.com
