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Chelsea summer signing Jadon Sancho has been told he is ‘far too easy to play against’ and could be dropped unless he produces more dynamic performances for the Blues.
Sancho, 24, has shown glimpses of his immense potential since joining Chelsea from Manchester United on transfer deadline day.
The talented winger, who played in last season’s Champions League final for Borussia Dortmund, spent three underwhelming years at Old Trafford before moving to Stamford Bridge, initially on loan.
Sancho’s dip in form at Manchester United coincided with a public bust-up with manager Erik ten Hag, who showed a reluctance to pick the England international before his departure.
Sancho has started Chelsea’s last three league games and while he has attracted praise from some pundits, ex-Blues striker Tony Cascarino was underwhelmed by his performance in the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea were firm favourites for Sunday’s clash in west London but had to settle for a point as Noni Madueke cancelled out Chris Wood’s opener.
‘I went to Stamford Bridge to focus only on Jadon Sancho and he wasn’t bad at all,’ Cascarino told The Times.
‘There were no big mistakes, everything was neat and tidy, he played short passes that were accurate. There was nothing to complain about, or that a pundit could pull apart in analysis on television.
‘But he’s playing for Chelsea: this is a club that has high expectations of players, especially attacking ones. Being OK, which is what he was, is a problem.
‘The truth is that he made it easy for Nottingham Forest’s right back Ola Aina to play against him.
‘There is no question Sancho is a good player, and his touch is almost always really sound, but he plays such a conservative game.
‘He never got into a physical battle with Aina and never tried to take him on. Sancho is not slow but he doesn’t have that burst of acceleration to get at defenders.’
Cascarino says Sancho’s performance was ‘such a contrast’ to Madueke’s on the other flank. Madueke, who made his England debut last month, has scored five goals in eight appearances so far this season.
‘It was such a contrast to Noni Madueke on the other wing: he was going at his full back all game, and it always felt like a battle for Forest to contain him,’ Cascarino added.
‘Madueke is way more direct than Sancho, he gets to the byline and always looks to take on his defender.
‘Ultimately that’s how most wide players will be judged: how often can you beat your man and then what else can you do?
‘Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and the other best wingers of recent times at the biggest teams in the Premier League have always wanted to overwhelm the full back marking them, using power and speed to beat them physically.
‘Sancho needs to get a bit stronger, and try to develop so that he can have a more significant change of pace.
‘That will allow him to keep a defender guessing – at the moment, the full back knows there is very little chance of him trying to get to the byline.’
Cascarino has also warned Sancho he faces the prospect of reduced game-time unless he starts ‘offering more’ following his switch from Old Trafford.
While Chelsea initially signed Sancho on loan, the deal includes an obligation to buy for between £25m and £29m next summer.
‘Sancho can’t afford to be mediocre: he has to offer more if he is going to be picked ahead of players such as Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Mykhailo Mudryk,’ Cascarino said.
‘Even in the few minutes of injury time that Mudryk was on, he gave Forest problems with his directness.
‘Sancho thrived at Borussia Dortmund, but it didn’t work out at Manchester United, so what happens at Chelsea will dictate where his career is heading.
‘At the big clubs, it’s about consistency, your level of performance is where you’ll be judged and the expectation is much greater.’
Sancho ended his Manchester United career with 12 goals in 83 appearances. He played just three games for the Red Devils last season, spending most of the campaign on loan at his former club Dortmund.
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