"I feel sorry for him" - John Barnes claims signing Cristiano Ronaldo led to Jadon Sancho flopping at Manchester United

Liverpool legend John Barnes has opined that Cristiano Ronaldo's second stint with Manchester United affected Jadon Sancho's progress at the club.

Sancho joined the Red Devils from Borussia Dortmund for €85 million in 2021. The winger moved to Old Trafford following an impressive four-year spell in Germany, where he bagged 50 goals and 64 assists from 137 appearances across competitions.

However, the England international has struggled to live up to his price tag and hype at Manchester United so far. He has managed to score just 12 goals and provide six assists in 79 games across competitions for the Premier League giants.

Barnes has now expressed his sympathy for Sancho, who the former English forward reckons could fall further down the pecking order after this summer. The Liverpool legend suggested that the winger is still feeling the effects of Ronaldo's spell at United.

"Now with United looking to improve they will be looking to add to their squad in the attacking areas which could push Sancho further down the pecking order in the squad," Barnes told Bonus Code Bets. "I feel sorry for him because he’s a good player and Ronaldo took over the club which stopped players like Sancho showing what they can do."

Barnes added that he hopes Sancho stays at Manchester United and eventually proves his doubters wrong.

"He’s a young player with a high fee so it’s been difficult," Barnes said. "I would like for Sancho to stay at United to prove people wrong because he’s still a young player and he’s got a lot of experience to gain."

It's worth noting that Sancho joined Manchester United the same summer as the former Real Madrid superstar returned to the club. In the 2021-22 season, the Englishman started 20 Premier League games for the Red Devils, while the Portuguese icon made 27.

Sancho also made 10 league starts for the Old Trafford outfit in the 2022-23 season before Ronaldo left the club by mutual consent in November. For context, the five-time Ballon d'Or featured only five times in Erik ten Hag's starting lineup in the English top flight during that period.

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Why did Cristiano Ronaldo leave Manchester United?

Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United 12 years after he left for Real Madrid. He picked up right where he left off and became the club's top scorer in the 2021-22 season, bagging 24 goals from 38 appearances across competitions. The superstar was named the Red Devils' Player of the Year that term.

However, the Portuguese icon's prominence reduced after Erik ten Hag took the reins last summer. He started just four Premier League games for the club before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November. Frustrated with his lack of playing time, he launched a scathing attack on the manager in an interview with British broadcast Piers Morgan.

The Old Trafford outfit decided to terminate Ronaldo's contract by mutual consent as a result. The former Juventus superstar thus went into the World Cup as a free agent. He later joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr for a deal worth over €200 million a year.