Manchester United fans were treated to a delightful moment near the end of England's 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic, and it ended with the Liverpool captain finding the net.
Okay, Jordan Henderson's goal was rightfully called out for offside, and the actual joy (for United supporters) wasn't in the finish, but in the creating of the chance.
On Tuesday night, it began with Luke Shaw bursting down the left wing for the umpteenth time, jumping past two red shirts before hammering a pass into the feet of Marcus Rashford. The winger, who had come on as a substitute for England's top scorer Raheem Sterling, cut inside to a central area, holding off a defender, and fed Jadon Sancho.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder had only recently entered the fray from the bench, but he quickly sought to draw in two more Czech players before releasing Rashford, who had made a clever run behind and beyond him, gathering the ball into the box and towards the by-line.
With his cut-back, Rashford didn't find another Three Lions player, but the Czechs didn't clear the ball properly, and Jude Bellingham ended up teeing up Henderson with a tackle.
The offside flag ultimately denied England the second goal of the game that their performance warranted, but many United-centric onlookers saw what they wanted to see.
The attacking involvement of Shaw, who continues to show how far he's come in the left-back position, now shining on the biggest international stage, was enough to excite United fans.
The left-back partnership of Shaw and Rashford has already proven to be one of the most dangerous in the Premier League.
The addition of Sancho to the attacking mix, whether on the right or left flank, would be the cherry on top. Even if his England game time at Euro 2020 has been restricted — just seven minutes in three group matches — there is a reason Dortmund wants a large quantity of money for his services.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United can use the qualities that Gareth Southgate is largely ignoring right now.
Sancho is a creator first and foremost. His Bundesliga assists record — 20 for Dortmund last season — demonstrates that he prefers to play the cross, gliding through the ball, rather than being a pure pace merchant.
Because England's talisman Harry Kane requires pacey and direct runners beyond him, Southgate started Bukayo Saka ahead of Sancho against the Czech Republic, and it worked well. For this reason, Raheem Sterling is given regular starts.
Sancho isn't slow, but he's more effective when he crosses into a genuine No.9 like Dortmund's Erling Haaland. He'd be ideal for feeding Edinson Cavani of Manchester United.
Then there's the fact that United already has a quicksilver running winger in Rashford, with whom Sancho appears to get along swimmingly. Behind the scenes, the two appear to be tight, which translated well when they teamed up against the Czech Republic late in the game. It can only be a good thing for Solskjaer's team.
Why would United pay £75 million for a player who has never been selected for the England national team? 'In the midst of the debate over Sancho's England spot, many non-Reds have asked this question.
But, thanks to Shaw and then Rashford, the 21-year-old demonstrated in a flash why United prize his eye for a pass and natural desire to attack. For the past two summers, Solskjaer has been desperate to sign him; United's interest in the former Man City youth player dates back four years.
It only took seven minutes in a major tournament to remind everyone why Jadon Sancho is so important to Manchester United.
But now is the time for the talking to end and the England player to be paraded in a red shirt.
No comments:
Post a Comment