Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has frequently spoken of his admiration for Jadon Sancho but on multiple occasions has outlined why the Reds did not move to sign the winger.
Sancho has been dropped for United’s game against Brighton on Saturday and made to train alone after hitting back at Ten Hag on social media. Winger Sancho took to social media to refute Ten Hag’s claim he was left out of the squad for United’s 3-1 defeat at Arsenal because of poor training performances.
There is now speculation over Sancho’s future with a standoff between the player and the management. United are likely to be willing to listen to offers for the winger, whose time at Old Trafford has not gone to plan since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund two years ago.
Sancho’s future is now back in the spotlight and while United would listen to offers, a move to fierce rivals Liverpool is not something likely to be under consideration. The forward is unlikely to ever feature under Klopp, but the boss has never been shy in praising his talents.
Klopp spoke about Sancho for the first time in 2019 but explained that the premium on signing English players had prohibited any thoughts on a deal. “Buying English players is a smart idea because we would never have a chance to get Sancho,” Klopp said.
“We are not blind – we saw him, we liked him and then we think: ‘Can we get him?’ No. Because English clubs don’t sell to other English clubs. I don’t know exactly what the reason is for that but they don’t do it. Now they can go to Germany, which is a wonderful league.”
Fast forward one year and Klopp told an interview with German newspaper Bild that Sancho would be a great signing for Liverpool, but he did not expect any deal: “The red shirt (of Liverpool) would suit very well. I don’t think such a transfer will be possible this season. He (Sancho) is a very interesting player. (But) if he’s coming to Liverpool I would be the most surprised of all of us.”
In 2021, Klopp was speaking about the possibility of signing Sancho again, after the winger had blossomed into a star at Dortmund and established himself as a promising England international ahead of the European Championships.
However, Klopp once again played down the possibility of a deal as he highlighted the financial ramifications of the Covid pandemic. It came a year after United had pulled out of a possible deal after being quoted £100million for the player, before later concluding a £73m move.
“I hear a lot about big-money moves, I don’t know if Kylian Mbappe is going or not, whether (Erling) Haaland or Sancho will, these kinds of players,” Klopp said in the final month of the 2020-21 campaign. “I don’t see that happening this summer because the football world is still not in the same place it was before.”
Months later, ahead of facing Sancho and United in October 2021, Klopp defended the winger – who had struggled in his opening months at Old Trafford. “Jadon Sancho is a world-class talent. Definitely,” the Reds boss said ahead of facing Sancho.
“He has all the things you need to become really one of the best players in the world in the future. That’s how it is, but he’s still very young. At Dortmund they were obviously full of praise about him. Rightly so.
Klopp continued: “I saw a lot of games where he played outstandingly well. It’s a normal situation where you are, especially. I’m not, but you are, you lose patience a little bit quickly. Don’t forget the options United have in his position…
“Jadon for sure can play in other positions.. but there’s not space anymore…That’s a problem you want to have as a manager, actually, to be honest. Everything will be fine for Jadon, but hopefully not on Sunday.”
