Erling Haaland sent a heartwarming message to former team-mate Jadon Sancho after the winger left Manchester United for Borussia Dortmund on loan.
Sancho spent four successful years at Dortmund before moving to United in 2021 for a reported fee of £73 million ($93m). However, during his stay at Old Trafford, he failed to match expectations and has been in exile since August after a public spat with Erik ten Hag. The winger has switched back to his former employers with the hope of reviving his sinking career on a loan deal, reported worth €4m (£3.4m/$4.3m) with no buy-back option.
Haaland was excited to see his close friend embark on a fresh challenge in his former stomping ground and wrote “beautiful” in his Instagram story while quoting Dortmund’s post.
The duo spent a year together at Signal Iduna Park where they forged a close friendship. They lifted the German Cup together in 2021 when Sancho scored 16 goals and laid on 20 assists. A week ago, Haaland expressed his admiration for Sancho by labeling him as a ‘proper baller’ in his Instagram story with a picture of the German Cup in front of them.
Despite his previous achievements, Sancho struggled to replicate his Dortmund form in his two-and-a-half seasons at United, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists since his arrival. The off-the-field incidents also hampered his progress and his row with Ten Hag over a social media post was the final nail on the coffin.
Sancho is geared up to prove his critics wrong by shining at Dortmund in his second coming. He might be handed an opportunity to feature when the Black and Yellows return to action on Saturday in the Bundesliga against Darmstadt.