5 academy graduates who were let go too soon by their original clubs | Premier League 2019-20 

#2 Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho has been on fire since moving to Borussia Dortmund

Teenage sensation Jadon Sancho has been on fire for Borussia Dortmund this season, scoring 13 goals and registering 14 assists in just 21 Bundesliga appearances. The 19-year old had a breakout season in 2018-19, becoming a fully-fledged England international and scoring 12 while registering 14 assists in Bundesliga action. With his form somehow improving during the current campaign, it’s no wonder that there’s a supposed £100m+ price on his head for any potential suitors.

Probably the only party who won’t be pleased with Sancho’s development in Germany would be his former club Manchester City – who were essentially forced to let him go to Dortmund in the summer of 2017, receiving a paltry fee of around £8m for the academy product. In all likelihood, City will probably be kicking themselves for the way in which the teenager left the Etihad.

It wasn’t that Sancho wasn’t highly rated at the club; after joining their academy from Watford in March 2015 at the age of just 14, he impressed everyone with his performances for City’s various age group sides and was a fixture on the international age group scene with England, too. However, problems arose when Sancho realised that first-team opportunities would be hard to come by, despite City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak stating that he’d be fast-tracked into the senior squad.

With the likes of Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne clearly ahead of him in the pecking order, the teenager made the only decision he felt he could – and engineered a move away from Manchester, heading to Dortmund, who promised him the opportunities he needed.

Since arriving in Germany, to say Sancho has been a huge hit would be an understatement. And while City haven’t been short on success since his departure, with the future of Sane currently in doubt, there can be no doubt that Pep Guardiola and his team regret allowing him to leave so easily.