Manchester United spent nearly 100 million on the 'German monster'.

The signing of Jadon Sancho was previously viewed as a key move in Manchester United's reconstruction strategy.

However, nearly five years after arriving at Old Trafford, the English player has become one of the most disappointing and costly contracts in the club's history.

Sancho joined Manchester United in the summer of 2021 from Borussia Dortmund for a transfer fee reaching 73 million pounds. At that time, the star born in 2000 was expected to become a vital piece in the Red Devils' attack due to his explosive performance in the Bundesliga. During his time at Dortmund, Sancho scored over 50 goals and contributed more than 50 assists in just four seasons, an extremely impressive record for a young player.

However, the reality at Old Trafford was completely opposite. Throughout his time wearing the Manchester United jersey, Sancho only played 83 matches across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing 6 assists. These numbers are quite modest compared to the expectations for an attacking player with such a high transfer fee.

Not only disappointing professionally, Sancho also forced Manchester United to bear enormous costs. This player once earned a salary of up to 250,000 pounds per week at Old Trafford. Although the salary may have decreased after the team failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, the total wage expenditure Manchester United paid for Sancho remained very substantial.

According to various sources, the total amount Manchester United spent on Sancho, including the transfer fee, installment payments, and wages, is estimated to have reached around 100 million pounds. Notably, last summer the club still had to pay an additional 17 million pounds to Dortmund according to the prior agreement, which was confirmed by the club's co-owner Jim Ratcliffe.

Unstable performance led Sancho to repeatedly leave Old Trafford on loan deals. In 2024, he returned to Dortmund for the latter half of the season. Subsequently, the English player continued to be loaned to Chelsea and even won the UEFA Europa Conference League with this team. However, the Stamford Bridge side did not activate the permanent purchase clause.

In the current season, Sancho continues to be loaned to Aston Villa. Here, he has played 28 matches but has only scored 1 goal, a performance insufficient to reaffirm his value.

Sancho's contract with Manchester United will expire next summer, and it is likely the player will leave Old Trafford as a free agent. This means the Manchester club will almost recover none of its previous massive investment. To date, the only money Manchester United has recouped from Sancho is a 5 million pound loan fee from Chelsea.

Although the future remains undecided, Sancho's journey at Manchester United so far is clearly a regrettable story. From a talent expected to become a major star in the Premier League, the English player now faces the prospect of quietly departing Old Trafford after a deal costing nearly 100 million pounds.