These pictures say everything about Manchester United – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule

One thing is that Manchester United have collapsed on the field, now last with 0-4 in the bag against Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

Another thing is what United do with the careers of promising players.

Erling Braut Haaland was clever enough to ditch United for Dortmund in December 2019.

In Dortmund he played with Jadon Sancho, a young winger with the world at his feet.

About 18 months later, Sancho left for United.

Now Sancho is fighting to save his career.

Good in yellow, confused in red

Sancho’s problems can look out to be about a young player struggling to live up to expectations.

During two and a half years at United, Sancho has never shown why he cost NOK 890 million. In the autumn, he was dropped from the fighting squad because coach Erik ten Hag thought he was so bad at training. Sancho thought it was wrong, was frozen out of the team, and in January he went to Dortmund on loan to find himself.

One can blame Sancho. He shouldn’t have challenged Ten Hag. He should have performed better.

But on Wednesday last week, Sancho was unstoppable for Dortmund in the semi-final of the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain, cascading down the right flank time and time again.

A star still lives in Sancho. He just had to go to show it.

Now Sky Sport in Germany reports that Sancho does not want to return to United, regardless of whether Ten Hag continues as coach or not.

It seems wise, because this situation is not just about Sancho.

It is probably so much about a club where almost no young signings are successful.

The talent that could not fail

There are two possible reasons.

One is that the players have just been bad. United’s recruitment has been a mess and they have missed out on the likes of Anthony Martial, Daniel James, Antony and Donny van de Beek.

But United have bought at least two talents who should be too good to fail. One is Sancho, who scored 33 goals in one season as a 19-year-old in the Bundesliga.

The other is Paul Pogba.

The French playmaker was a jewel from Juventus with the physique of an NBA star and the technique of a Brazilian. Only in periods did Pogba show why United had made him the world’s most expensive player.

At the same time, Pogba sparkled almost every time he played for the French national team. It was like watching another player.

Like Sancho, Pogba was at his best when he wasn’t playing in red.

And like Sancho, Pogba went back to where he came from, i.e. Juventus, where he has since been benched, injured and banned for four years for doping. In practice, it means the end of a career that should have been far better.

The immune

Again, one could argue that Pogba, like Sancho, lacked focus and discipline. It is difficult for us outside the club to say exactly what has happened.

But how many signings, young or old, have improved at United over the past decade?

You can count them on one hand.

The young winger Alejandro Garnacho has made great strides. Luke Shaw has been good at times. But those who have performed the best are guys like Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martínez and Zlatan Ibrahimović, with extreme professionalism and a hard-nosed mentality.

These three have not necessarily improved that much at United, but rather been immune to whatever it is that drags so many players down the drain.

The rest have stagnated or deteriorated. Big names like Romelu Lukaku, Ángel Di María and Memphis Depay struggled at United, and then they delivered at the top level in other teams soon after.

United have bought good players. They have had great talents.

It’s just very difficult to perform at United.

Open heart surgery

The reason fans and the press have been looking for it for a long time.

One can blame Ten Hag, who are under pressure after the failure against Palace, but the problems have lasted for 10 years now. It’s about something in the club.

Maybe it’s about the Glazer family’s unpopular regime, or the tendency to give important jobs to old heroes without the right qualifications. Maybe it’s the leaks to the press, or the culture in the stable, or all the injuries. Perhaps it is about the enormous attention from fans and the media, and the pressure that comes with it.

Recently, new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe sent an email to United staff saying the facilities in parts of the club were “a disgrace”.

Two years ago, coach Ralf Rangnick said the club needed “open heart surgery”.

Why should great talents want to be part of this?

Ødegaard in United

During the same period, the rivals in the Premier League have brought in young players who have obviously improved in their new environments.

Mohamed Salah, Rodri and Martin Ødegaard were good players with great potential, but none of them were world class on the day they were signed. They have become good because they chose the right coach, the right club and the right culture.

Ødegaard would never have become so good if he had gone to, let’s say, United.

Kai Havertz struggled at Chelsea, who have lacked continuity since the new owners took over two years ago. He left for Arsenal last year and looked like a flop for a long time, but coach Mikel Arteta has gradually turned him into one of the league’s most dangerous strikers.

Often it is the club’s ability to develop the player that makes the signing good.

Should think carefully

As long as United lack this ability, talent will think twice before heading to Old Trafford. The price for choosing wrong can be high.

We still don’t know if Sancho finds his old self. Apart from the match against PSG, he has been weak on loan in Dortmund, and it is uncertain whether he will join the EC squad for England.

There are many indications that cases like Sancho are already having an effect for United.

It has been a long time since United won a battle for a sought-after player, and more often than not they have brought in established names that big clubs are happy to sell, or younger players they can secure without much competition.

It doesn’t help either to be in eighth place in the Premier League with a goal difference of minus three.

United are looking for new talent this summer. Those who are offered can be tempted by the fan base, the size of the stadium, the money and the history. Perhaps some will believe that Jim Ratcliffe is going to fix the club soon.

But the chances are high that several people will analyze the club and give the answer that Sancho should have given: No thanks.