Jadon Sancho is back with a bang for Manchester United and has the platform to become the "superstar" that former Liverpool favourite Jamie Carragher predicted upon his arrival.
It has been 18 months since United brought Sancho to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund - for £72.9million - and the England forward has not exactly had it all his own way since then. But there are finally some menacing signs for the opposition following his prolonged mid-season break.
While attending to his mental and physical wellbeing, Sancho did not feature for over three months before his welcome return against Nottingham Forest. He shared a brilliant pitch-side moment with Erik ten Hag upon that February re-introduction and it has been all smiles for the 22-year-old since then.
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His goal rescued a point for United in the first half of their double header with Leeds United, while he was also on target during the comfortable win over Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. Despite the team already being in front when Sancho was summoned from the bench at half-time, it was his presence which helped to conjure an improved performance across the board.
And now comes his perfect time to shine.
United are primed and ready for the biggest week in the campaign so far; against Barcelona in the second leg of their Europa League showdown and then Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final. Sancho ought to start at least one of those games and he could well get the nod for both of them.
He might have been a little wayward with his finishing in the opener with Barcelona, in which Marcus Rashford once again took centre stage, but encouraging displays from Sancho over these last few games have given him a springboard for success as the main man in his own right.
After watching United win the race for Sancho last summer, Carragher said: "I think he could be a superstar, I really do. You look at his numbers in German football. Gary [Neville] has mentioned that they need this player on the right side, at times I think he is as good on the left if you look at his stats."
Reflecting later on his debut season, Carragher said: "It hasn't started well for him, but he's still a young player, he's got plenty of time, a few years at United. You'd definitely want a bit more from him, no doubt."
It was always going to be difficult for Sancho to replicate his Dortmund numbers (50 goals and 64 assists from 137 appearances) on the Premier League stage, but landmark performances against Barcelona and or Newcastle will certainly restore that same fleet-footed confidence. United still have another superstar in the making.
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