Former boss issues clear loan player advice to Aston Villa manager Unai Emery: ‘You want him to get on the ball’

Jadon Sancho’s former manager at Borussia Dortmund has sent Unai Emery a clear message and advised how to get the best out of the Aston Villa loanee.

Edin Terzić was the manager at the Westfalenstadion between 2022 and 2024, leading BVB to the final of the Champions League in 2023/24 with Sancho in the ranks after he returned to Dortmund on loan from Manchester United.

Sancho initially joined the German giants in 2017, leaving Manchester City for the Bundesliga and emerging as a first team player under Peter Stöger and Lucien Favre before signing for United in 2021.

Sancho played under Terzić in the Bundesliga and Champions League

An unhappy spell at Old Trafford eventually led Sancho back to Dortmund and a revival in form with a helping hand from Terzić.

The 43-year-old is a good person to ask about managing Sancho and Sky Sports did exactly that.

“Jadon is special. Why? Because if the game is in the 75th minute and 0-0, you want him to get on the ball because you know that he is going to make something special happen,” said the former Dortmund boss.

“If you are expecting something special then you also have to treat him in a special way and I think the most important thing for Jadon… if you compare him to Jude [Bellingham], you need to keep Jude hungry, and Jadon you need to keep him smiling.

“If you talk to the joy of the kid inside of Jadon then you’re going to get the best out of him. If he’s smiling he’s going to make a difference.”

The story so far for Sancho at Villa

Sancho signed for Villa on transfer deadline day at the start of September, joining on loan for the season from Manchester United.

He was one of a number of players exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim and United are not expected to exercise their option to extend his contract, which expires in June, for any other reason than to earn a fee when he leaves.

The former Chelsea and England winger has started modestly at Villa, where the tactical demands placed upon players by Emery are legend.

Sancho featured against Brentford in the League Cup, Sunderland in the Premier League and Bologna in the Europa League before a bout of illness interrupted his progress.

He has played a total of 336 minutes in a Villa shirt this season and Terzić’s words seem to ring true.

Despite widely reported and rumoured questions about Sancho’s application and discipline, his brief appearances for the club have, I think, offered some cause for optimism.

Villa need more direct output from him when selected but Sancho’s willingness to run at defenders and carry the ball into the penalty area is a useful attribute in a team so often accused of being too rigid this season.

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