Former England star Kieron Dyer recently recounted a significant “red flag” he observed with Jadon Sancho during the latter’s formative years at Manchester City. Sancho, who is now 24 years old, was a promising young talent rising through the ranks at City before being acquired by Borussia Dortmund in 2017. At Dortmund, Sancho’s abilities blossomed on an international scale. However, Dyer pointed out that Sancho’s attitude, which has been a persistent issue, may have influenced Pep Guardiola’s decision to let him go for a mere £8 million despite his evident potential.
Sancho is currently preparing for a high-stakes Champions League final at Wembley, where Dortmund will face Real Madrid. His exceptional performance in the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain was instrumental in securing his team’s spot in the final. Yet, Sancho’s career has not been without its hurdles, including a difficult period at Manchester United, which led to his loan back to Dortmund in January 2024.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Kieron Dyer, who formerly played for England and Newcastle United, reminisced about watching Sancho during his time in Manchester City’s youth setup. “He was a wonderkid growing up. He was the talk of everybody in the academies at that time. I was coaching and when I watched Man City, he was unstoppable. It was the youth team, so the under-18s, and he was incredible,” Dyer recalled.
Dyer went on to describe a pivotal moment that raised concerns about Sancho’s mentality. “He was probably 17 years old and everyone wanted him – he could have his pick, he’d just dominate every team. They played Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final and played against Reece James, and Reece James got the better of him, which can happen to anyone, but he quit on his team in the Youth Cup final.”
Dyer continued, emphasizing the significance of that incident. “He just mentally went and I kind of had a red flag against him then and thought that’s a bit weird. He’s got the world at his feet and alright, he’s had a bad game but he’s quit on his teammates. You could see the life had gone out of him, he’d stopped tracking back and sort of given up and was basically mentally gone.”
Since rejoining Dortmund, Sancho has managed to score three goals and provide three assists in 20 appearances across all competitions. His return to German football has seen moments of brilliance, but the concerns raised by Dyer about his mental resilience remain a point of discussion. As Sancho prepares for what could be one of the most significant matches of his career, his journey continues to be a mix of remarkable talent and moments of adversity.