Opinion: England’s loss could be Manchester United’s gain

There may be something in Rio Ferdinand asking what Jadon Sancho has done to upset England manager Gareth Southgate.

When Gareth Southgate named his England starting eleven against the Czech Republic, he overlooked Jadon Sancho again, preferring Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka to the highly rated Borussia Dortmund starlet.

When I saw the team announcement it felt like Jadon Sancho was getting an early taste of what it can be like when you play for Manchester United.

Unfair treatment with England.

You only need to look back as far as the Wayne Rooney’s early days after leaving Everton, or David Beckham and Gary Neville. Add Paul Scholes to that given how he was pushed aside for Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard for years.

Michael Carrick is another player they took forever to appreciate, and I’d question if they ever fully appreciated what he could offer.

If he joins United this summer, Sancho will soon experience a different side to the British press, and everything that comes with representing the biggest club in the world.

Maybe Saka will go on to have a really good performance tonight. I mean, that wouldn’t surprise me because he’s another very good player. But Sancho should definitely be ahead of him in the pecking order.

On top of that, England are expected to beat the Czech Republic (they are already winning 1-0 thanks to a Raheem Sterling equaliser), with Saka and Jack Grealish playing key roles in the build-up to the goal.

What’s up with Gareth Southgate and Jadon Sancho?

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