Jadon Sancho is taking a break from social media to focus on football after a tricky 18-month spell at Manchester United.
The 22-year-old's decision to temporarily quit the likes of Instagram may please Rio Ferdinand, who once told Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard to ignore social media and focus on their football in February 2017.
Sancho has been dropped by England manager Gareth Southgate for the World Cup after scoring just five goals and providing four assists in 38 Premier League games for the Red Devils. It's a huge blow for the youngster, who was part of the Euro 2020 squad.
Sancho has deleted all posts from his Instagram account of nine millions followers and removed his profile picture. The former Manchester City youngster has not done the same on his Twitter account, although he hasn't posted on that platform since September.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Sancho has wiped his Instagram because he wants to take a break from social media. It's claimed there is nothing more behind this, and he is determined to put his World Cup heartache behind him over the coming weeks.
Sancho was signed from Borussia Dortmund in a £73million deal in the summer of 2021 after a stunning start to his career in Germany. He scored 38 goals and provided 51 assists in just 104 Bundesliga games for Dortmund. He also won the DFB-Pokal.
Do you think Jadon Sancho will rediscover his best form at Manchester United? Let us know in the comments below!
Yet Sancho's stock has plummeted since his move to United. What's most disappointing about his World Cup snub was that he wasn't even in the selection debate. He will be keen to put that disappointment behind him and force his way back into contention.
A social media reality check can sometimes be a good thing, as Pogba and Lingard will protest. Ferdinand slammed the pair after they shared a video of themselves dancing ahead of a Premier League game against Hull at Old Trafford, a match which finished goalless.
United were sixth in the Premier League table at the time and were heading for a disappointing campaign under Jose Mourinho, despite signing Pogba from Juventus for a world-record transfer fee of £89m at the beginning of the season.
Although United went on to finish the campaign in sixth, Ferdinand's words did give Mourinho's players a reality check. They went on to win the EFL Cup - their first trophy under Mourinho - and the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League.
When asked if Lingard and Pogba should've been posting videos of their dance moves on social media, Ferdinand said: "No, because you haven't won anything. When you're winning, that's when you go out and start doing stuff like that.
"I've dug out Arsenal players for things like this before and it would be wrong of me not to speak about the United players. I'm all for having fun and part of Pogba's appeal is that he's a happy free spirit which I wouldn't want to take anything away from, but there's a time and a place."
