‘It’s got to do with a lot of the things in his head’ – Sancho struggling to live up to Man Utd hype, admits Rangnick

JADON SANCHO is fighting a mental battle to live up to the hype and his price tag at Manchester United.

That is the view of Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick who is desperately trying to get him to reproduce his form at Borussia Dortmund before his £73million switch to Old Trafford.

Even what he produces on the training ground would do for now but when it comes to the games he goes missing.

Rangnick said: “It's a different league, different competition, more physical. He’s playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"It's also got to do with a lot of the things up here in his head.

"Whenever I see him train he's showing up and is one of the best players in the training sessions.

“Now it's about the transfer to when he's playing, showing the same kind of level and performance on the pitch

“With those kind of players, with creative offensive players, it's all about confidence, being aware of how good they can be then showing it in front of 75,000 or 45,000 at Villa Park.

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“Of course in the end he has to do that, he has to take that step again.

“In most training sessions, he is training at a very high level and now it's about letting that transfer on to the pitch in the league competitions, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League, but he can do that.

“He has the ability to do that, there is no doubt about that. But now we have to develop him into that kind of player and see the same kind of performances that he has shown at Borussia Dortmund.”

Rangnick believes that while it was easy to thrive after moving as a relative unknown to the Bundesliga it has been a different matter at one of the world's biggest clubs in United.

Whenever I see him train he's showing up and is one of the best players in the training sessions.

Ralf Rangnick

Sancho scored 50 goals and provided 66 assists in 137 games at Dortmund in an incredible three-and-a-half years in Germany following his switch from Man City.

But the 21-year-old has failed to reproduce anything like the same form scoring only twice in 23 appearances and not providing a single assist.

Rangnick said: “It's a difference if you come as an 18-year-old, unknown talented English boy to Borussia Dortmund. From then on you can only improve, you can only make a success out of that.

“The level of expectation was a lot lower compared to a situation where you come to a club like Manchester United for a high transfer fee, with a high level of expectation.

“Everyone expected from him that he would be one of the best players in the team.

“This is psychologically, emotionally a more challenging situation than the one at Borussia Dortmund and these are exactly the kind of steps that he has to make to become a top player for the next 10 years at this club.

“We can give guidelines, we can give him a helping hand and show him we are trying to accompany him on this way and give him all the necessary assistance that he needs but in the end it's up to him to take the next steps.”

Sancho has been switched between flanks while playing in an unfamiliar 4-2-2-2 formation.

Now Rangnick has decided to settle on a 4-3-3 he will be hoping that suits him better.

He said: “We have now decided to play a 4-3-3 like we did against Aston Villa, with one holding six, two eights and three offensive players.

“It's clear in a 4-3-3 that he's a player for either of the wing positions, either left or right, he can play both. I think he would prefer a little bit the left side, because then he can switch inside and shoot on goal with his strong right foot.

“But for me there's no questions about his position. He's a winger, as we say in Germany someone who can dribble fast with the ball and for me there's not at all a question over the best possible position for him.

“But again, it's not only about training at the highest possible level - I said that to him by the way the day before yesterday. Confirm the performances you show in training when you're playing on the pitch.”

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