Jadon Sancho will not be pressured to force a move from Borussia Dortmund to the Premier League, Gareth Southgate has said.
Sancho has been reported to be willing to swap Signal Iduna Park for the English top-flight with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United keeping him on their radar.
But the England national team coach believes the Black and Yellows participation in the Champions League has played a huge part in the development of the 20-year-old’s rise to stardom.
And while deciding to pressure the winger to make a decision, he is willing to offer an advice to the player should he knock on his door for one.
Southgate said: “I think the key for Jadon is that he has to play football – and the beauty of him being at Dortmund is that he plays regularly in a team that is expected to hit a certain level.
“Before this period, that meant playing in front of 80,000 fans every week. The pressure of that – and the pressure of playing in the Champions League for a team that needs to be challenging Bayern Munich – is another bonus.
“The Premier League would present a different challenge in that I think the depth of the league here is a bit more intense in terms of the quality. But whichever route that opens up I think it’s good for England.
“There isn’t a downside for us if he stays with Dortmund and if we see him in the Premier League then that brings opportunities to see him in a different environment.
“But the most important thing is that he keeps playing regularly – and at his age that is key to him learning and improving.”
Southgate added: “I am always available to players who want to speak or get advice about any areas of their life. But I don’t push that particularly because I am conscious that there’s a lot of noise around the player.
“I don’t think it’s for me to tell him what to do. I think players should make their own decisions- and that decision won’t affect or influence my thinking on him anyway.”
Having had his hair cut earlier this month, Sancho was said to have broken self isolation protocols during lockdown.
Despite his disciplinary and off the field issues with his club, the England boss says he has no concerns about the player’s discipline.
He said: “Jadon is still very young and is not going to get every decision right. There’s a naivety of youth in some of the things that happen. But that’s a journey that most, if not all, players go on. There are very few 20-year-olds who make the right decision every single time.
“I think his development is in a really good direction. He’s improving on the pitch and he’s becoming more responsible off it.
“There’s still a bit of a way to go with that, so we’ve got to keep raising the bar and challenging him in that area to make sure he maximises his talent.”
