You'll see what a difference playing in a good footballing team, under a manager that has a good character, makes to him. Somebody said to me the other day that 'he looks like he's enjoying his football at Chelsea', and it wound me up, because this is what I've been saying has been the issue for him and other players here. They don't enjoy the football. Every week they look like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Then you watch other top teams and they're smiling, expressing themselves on the pitch, fighting non-stop for everything. But can you blame them? This manager is a leech on everyone. He has bizarre tactics that hang players out to dry, he blames the players for everything, has zero charisma, never takes responsibility for a damn thing. I'd absolutely hate to play for ETH in all honesty.
I'm not absolving him of blame for what happened, he conducted himself poorly. But on the pitch, I could always see why him and other players aren't performing for us. Under Ole it was a tactical plan relying on athleticism, pace in behind etc. This isn't how Sancho wants to play. It was the same under ETH mostly too, but our whole tactical plan is crap and all our wingers perform to a fraction of their ability. This wasn't a Sancho problem, but a much wider issue.
The clues have been there though. Every time he has played elsewhere, he's looked a different player. He's looked happy, he's worked hard, he's expressed himself on the pitch. It's only at United, particularly now under this charisma vacuum, that these players can't do it.
His wages and transfer fee definitely would have been too much for us though, and Sancho wouldn't be happy earning half or less of what he did in the PL.