Sancho replacement facing same issues as Man Utd star ousted by Ten Hag

17 November 2023 , 11:00

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Sancho replacement facing same issues as Man Utd star ousted by Ten Hag

Donyell Malen was billed as the man to replace Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund but is now at odds with his manager, much like his predecessor.

The 24-year-old signed from PSV in the same summer that Sancho headed to Manchester United, and has been a regular fixture for the 'Black and Yellows' since. He was pivotal to their title charge in the 2022/23 campaign, which ended in heartbreak amid a final day capitulation that handed Bayern Munich an 11th straight title.

And under manager Edin Terzic, the hangover from that demoralising conclusion is seemingly taking its toll. The club lost Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid in the summer and currently lie fifth in the table having lost back-to-back-games, and are 10 points off leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

They are top of their Champions League group following successive wins oner Newcastle, but the 2-1 loss at Stuttgart last Saturday left fans calling for Terzic to go. Malen himself has added fuel to the fire by seemingly embracing that theory.

Malen made his feelings clear by liking a comment on social media calling for Terzic to get sacked. He reacted on Instagram to a post which read: "Kick Terzic in his a** so he gets fired."

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The irony has not been lost on pundits and supporters, given Sancho is currently exiled at United following his own social media outburst. The ex-England forward publicly dismissed claims by Erik ten Hag that he had been dropped for the defeat to Arsenal in September due to his poor performances in training.

Donyell Malen has liked a social media post calling for Borussia Dortmund to axe their manager (Sebastian El-Saqqa - firo sportphoto/Getty Images)

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"Please don't believe everything you read. I will not allow people saying things that [are] completely untrue... I have conducted myself in training very well this week," he wrote. "I believe there are other reasons for this matter which I won't go into, I've been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair!"

As it stands though, there has been no comparison with the pair in terms of the consequences of their actions. Malen, who has four goals this season, is yet to be sanctioned while Sancho is currently barred from all first-team activities.

The 23-year-old is now expected to be sold in January in a cut-price deal, and a return to Dortmund has been touted as an option. Sancho spent four years in Germany after coming through the ranks at Man City, helping the club capture the DFB-Pokal crown in his final season.

Fraser Watson