Ratcliffe could solve Man Utd’s Sancho problem with “magic” £60m phenom

It’s been a rough season for Manchester United this year, with every impressive last-minute win quickly followed by another embarrassing draw or defeat.

Erik ten Hag has not had the season he would have hoped for after his impressive debut campaign in England, and one of the first signs something was amiss was his public spat with Jadon Sancho back in September.

Since then, the winger has been frozen out of the team and sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund in January.

There is certainly still a chance that the Englishman will be welcomed back to Old Trafford in the summer, but based on recent reports, the Red Devils could be about to sign the perfect replacement and wash their hands of him.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a report from ESPN, United are now leading the race to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise should he leave Selhurst Park this summer.

The report has revealed that the Frenchman has a release clause worth between £50m to £60m in his contract that will be activated in the transfer window and that United’s new minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has made him one of the club’s primary targets.

The three-time European champions are likely to face stiff competition for the winger’s signature from Premier League rivals, but an earlier report from ESPN revealed that the club could offer former Palace player Aaron Wan-Bissaka as part of the deal to encourage the Eagles and ease their own PSR concerns.

Ultimately, any deal for the talented forward would represent a significant investment from the club, but it might just be worth it.

How Olise compares to Sancho

If United can push on with a deal and have the opportunity to sign Olise in the summer, would he be a genuine upgrade on Sancho?

Well, from a productivity perspective, the “magic” Frenchman, as data analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him, has his English counterpart beat hands down. In his 16 games this season, he has scored seven goals and provided four assists, giving him an average of a goal involvement every 1.4 games despite his injury problems.

In contrast, the Camberwell-born ace has scored three goals and provided just two assists in 20 appearances, meaning he’s averaged a goal involvement every four games, with all of said involvements coming in Germany.

What about under the hood, then? Is the comparison just as heavily weighted in the Palace ace’s favour?

Unfortunately for the United man, while he produces more progressive passes and carries, makes more ball recoveries, takes players on more, and has a better pass completion rate per 90, he comes out second best in the majority of important metrics and by quite a way in some.​​​​​​​

For example, the “phenomenal” Palace gem, as U23 scout Antonio Mango described him, produces a far higher non-penalty expected goal and assist figure, scores more goals, provides more assists, takes far more shots on target, has a higher success rate when taking players on, wins more aerial duels, and produces substantially more shot and goal-creating actions, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Sancho is still a talented player and is showing as much in the Champions League, his raw output and underlying numbers are clearly worse than Olise’s, and so if United have the chance to replace him with the Frenchman this summer, they absolutely should, even at £60m.