Am I the only one who thinks Sancho could work in the middle? He doesn’t seem to have enough pace to get outside on the byline but he’s very cute with the one twos and fast intricate play.
I think this would be super interesting as a midfield 3
—— Sancho
————————- Bellingham
————-Casemiro
I think for Sancho it would be the best option. He has the technical ability to operate in the confined spaces that comes from playing centrally, and his evasive style of dribbling allows him to function in the half spaces. Add to that the vision and passing he's shown earlier in his career I think it would bring the best out of him. When out wide in this league it highlights all his weaknesses, he lacks the penetration to truly impact games consistently. You end up with pretty impotent and frustrating performances. Though he's a pretty safe option when it comes to recycling the ball, he's definitely not making the impact everyone had hoped he would. In the middle he can still drift out wide and make use of the spaces, but you'd just (hopefully) get a lot more out of him.
I guess the problem is while it's potentially the best option for Sancho, is it the best way forward for United. You have players who are at this moment in time arguably superior in that role. With Sancho there's no guarantee he'd perform in the role, and he does have a few limitations that might even be accentuated by playing centrally. Personally speaking I'd love to see it, and get him playing a more pivotal and integral role within the system. A lot of his best qualities revolve around facilitating his teammates, and having a central role, literally and figuratively, could be the way of unleashing him. It's just he's shown so little it would be hard to justify granting him that role when you have other more proven players.
Sounds like he's struggling with some issues off the pitch, I wish him well and I hope I get to see him enjoying his football soon.