SANCHGO OR SANCHNO?

In-form Jadon poses Three Lions dilemma for Southgate as he finalises his Euro squad

ENGLAND’S record when picking ‘bolters’ in their squad for major tournaments is shabbier than breakfast the morning after a stag night.

And Jadon Sancho’s resurgent form, on his second coming at Borussia Dortmund, may yet turn out to be a mirage in the desert.

But if the Manchester United outcast continues to be energised by the famous Yellow Wall of noise, Gareth Southgate will have to wrestle with a familiar dilemma: Flavour of the month from the specials board or staying a la carte?

The last of Sancho’s 23 England caps came back in October 2021 – against Andorra (right, with Bukayo Saka) – three months after the £73million move to

United that he called a “dream come true”.

Instead of a marquee signing, he turned out to be an auxiliary bell-tent in the Old Trafford campsite, as Cristiano Ronaldo’s encore commanded the limelight before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign petered out.

Then came a public fallingout with Erik ten Hag (right) and Sancho’s unwise claim that he had been made a “scapegoat” for United’s spluttering form.

Until his loan move back to Dortmund in January – ending 140 days without a competitive appearance – he looked more like a greyhound left in the traps than a bolter.

Southgate may only have been offering Sancho a fig leaf rather than an olive branch, but the door remains ajar.

“For every player that’s not with us, there is always an opportunity if they can seize the form and have the right level of performance,” said the Three Lions coach.

Despite the cluster of crown jewels at Southgate’s disposal this summer – it is hard to see Sancho getting a game ahead of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer or Saka – there could yet be a vacancy for an impact player off the bench in wide areas. But woe betide

England managers who are seduced by flights of fancy.

As Sven Goran Eriksson discovered in 2006, there is no such thing as a free hunch in international football.

On the final countdown to the World Cup in Germany – where England are favourites with the bookies to win Euro 2024 this summer – dear old Svennis seemed to have watered down his choice of fourth striker, behind Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, to a straight shoot-out between in-form Charlton forward Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe.

To widespread astonishment, when he named his squad, Bent was nowhere to be seen, Defoe was only on standby and the final place went to 17-year-old Theo Walcott, who had yet to play a single Premier League minute for Arsenal.

Sancho would not be such a gamble, based on his experience at Euro 2020, where he was one of three unfortunates to miss out in the final’s penalty shoot-out against Italy.

And it would be reassuring to see him play with a smile on his face again in an England shirt.