24-year-old “smiling” and looking “happy” again after leaving Manchester United

Jadon Sancho looks like a happy player again at Chelsea after leaving Manchester United this summer, according to talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent.

Sancho notably struggled to show his best form at Man Utd, though he quickly looked back to his old self when he returned to former club Borussia Dortmund on loan in the second half of last season.

The 24-year-old is now at Chelsea on loan from the Red Devils, though one imagines he surely won’t be returning to Old Trafford due to the clause in his current deal meaning the loan becomes permanent unless the Blues finish lower than 14th in the Premier League table, according to the Telegraph’s James Ducker on X.

See below as Bent discusses Chelsea, praising Cole Palmer’s superb recent form but also highlighting how much happier Sancho looks in his new surroundings…

Sancho looking improved since leaving United for Chelsea

United fans will no doubt be frustrated that they couldn’t get more out of Sancho, who is one of a long list of big names to flop at Old Trafford in this difficult post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Others such as Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Angel Di Maria, Alexis Sanchez, Harry Maguire and Antony have also gone backwards since joining the club, and it’s not always been clear why.

Sancho, like Di Maria and Lukaku in particular, has improved a lot since leaving, and one has to wonder if that will persuade others still at United that they should do the same.

Chelsea haven’t exactly been at their most stable best for a few years now either, but it still seems like the club is a far happier place than United, and there’s perhaps the sense now that this project is finally starting to come together under Enzo Maresca.