How Dortmund monitored starlet Sancho’s progress

BORUSSIA Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has revealed that the Bundesliga outfit had been monitoring Jadon Sancho long before signing the starlet for a reported £8m last summer.

Sancho left the Etihad in search of first-team opportunities after he was left out of Manchester City’s pre-season tour of America, and opted for a move to Germany where he has since prospered.

The 18-year-old has recorded more assists than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, and made his senior England debut against Croatia on Friday night.

And Zorc says Dortmund’s reputation for harnessing young talent was key in securing a deal.

“We had Jadon observed from very early in the youth teams. At the time there was already great interest from the Premier League, but also from top clubs from other countries,” he told Bild.

“I think he has chosen BVB because we’ve been committed to the best of European talent for more than a decade, trust them, give them plenty of playing time and make them better and better.” Zorc’s comments come after he compared Sancho to Ousmane Dembele earlier this season, with the France international having moved to Barcelona from Dortmund in the summer Sancho was signed. “Jadon could still play in the under-19s,” Zorc said.

“He’s brutally good, he can do things I have rarely seen.

“Even though he is a different player type – the extent to which his actions are not to defend – he reminds me of Ousmane Dembele.” Dortmund’s sporting director Micheal Zorc