Sancho and AWB’s effortless link-up for Man Utd was like prime Beckham and Neville
The revival of Manchester United has been on full display this season and Erik ten Hag’s magical powers know no bounds as a new partnership has formed down the right-hand side.
From Gary Neville and David Beckham to Fabio and Antonio Valencia, the Red Devils have a long-standing history of partnerships down the right-hand side.
Prior to Ten Hag’s arrival, United were looking lost and the future of several of their stars was up in the air. Aaron Wan-Bissaka seemed surplus to requirements and Jadon Sancho had struggled for consistency.
Even at the beginning of Ten Hag’s reign, the likes of Sancho and Wan-Bissaka didn’t look like their usual selves. Diogo Dalot was the preferred choice at right-back and Sancho had struggled to establish himself as a regular.
Ten Hag’s coaching abilities have been on show for everyone to see and perhaps his greatest success story so far could be the new partnership which is blossoming on the right-hand side.
United hadn’t been at their best against Leicester in the first half as the Foxes were only kept at arm’s length due to a string of outstanding saves from David De Gea.
Ten Hag wasted no time in tinkering with the side as he introduced Sancho as a substitute at the beginning of the second half. Marcus Rashford is grabbing all the headlines at the moment, but Sancho’s revival is also worth some recognition.
The 22-year-old put the icing on the cake to score United’s third goal of the afternoon, but perhaps his best moment came when he and Wan-Bissaka had their own game of two-touch.
Ten Hag’s Ajax side were known for their fluid passages of play and the strong relationships between the players and all of that is on display in this clip from the weekend.
Jadon Sancho x Aaron Wan Bissaka 😮💨🔴
(via mufchants/TT) pic.twitter.com/iALmYRRaFT
— United Zone (@ManUnitedZone_) February 20, 2023
The United boss was impressed with Sancho’s second-half impact as he told reporters: “He is in the right direction. He does not know his limits and there’s a lot of space for improvement, though already he is at a high level.”
Ten Hag’s drive to improve and not stand still is exactly what has been missing at Old Trafford in recent years. His second-half plan came together perfectly and Sancho played his role to perfection.
“Second half, we play like the principles and the rules of the game from us,” Ten Hag added. “So we transferred the game plan and then you see we are dictating the game.
“And with Jadon on the pitch, there was a lot of space in the midfield area to bring him there to get players playing between the lines, get more dynamics, it worked really well, him and Bruno on that side.”
If Wan-Bissaka and Sancho continue to develop at their current rate, then United might have found themselves the next Beckham and Neville-esque partnership.
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