They are two of the most exciting attacking players in world football, wingers with the ability to score as often as they create, and after a summer in which one emerged as a star of Euro 2020 and the other finally secured an €85 million move to the Premier League, this season should have been a showcase for Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho. But as they prepare for Saturday’s 186th derby between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, both players find themselves on the fringes at their respective clubs, with neither expected to start the game.
There are different reasons behind Sterling and Sancho’s battle for form and favour this season, but there are also similarities — competition from new signings and managers attempting to devise a system to compensate for squad weaknesses are two significant factors — and both players are struggling to mount a convincing case for selection.
Sterling, England’s outstanding player during their run to the Euro 2020 final this summer, has started six of Man City’s 17 games in all competitions this season, with manager Pep Guardiola handing him only three starts in 10 Premier League fixtures so far. And Sancho, who left Borussia Dortmund for United following a two-year transfer chase in July, has found life tough at Old Trafford. Like Sterling, the 21-year-old has started six games in all competitions, and three in the Premier League, but while his England teammate has at least been able to register two goals for City, Sancho has failed to get off the mark for United and has rarely looked like doing so.
– ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
Sterling became the fifth-highest scoring English player in the Champions League — behind Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard — by netting his 22nd goal in the competition as a late substitute during Wednesday’s 4-1 Group A victory against
Source : espn
