‘It’s embarrassing’: On-loan Man Utd man given brutal wake-up call by manager

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·27 October 2025

‘It’s embarrassing’: On-loan Man Utd man given brutal wake-up call by manager

Jadon Sancho endured one of football players’ worst nightmares yesterday afternoon when he was substituted in and out of the same game.

Indeed, the on-loan Manchester United forward was not included in the starting XI for Aston Villa’s afternoon clash with Manchester City, but was brought into the action on the half-hour mark to replace the injured Emi Buendia.

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He proceeded to see out the first half, during which the Villans claimed a one-goal lead courtesy of Matty Cash.

Sancho hooked after 45 minutes vs City

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

However, in the 74th minute, Sancho returned to the substitutes’ bench when Emery opted to swap him with Evann Guessand. Villa would go on to see out their narrow triumph on home turf, providing a substantial dent to City’s title hopes.

When pressed on the rotation post-match, Emery empathised with Sancho, admitting he knew how humiliating such a situation can be for players.

“Yes, sure he’s (Sancho) not happy, but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday,” said the Villa Park boss, as cited by talkSPORT.

“Today, when he (Buendia) was injured, my plan was maybe in case he (Sancho) was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.

“But my plan was that when he was swapped with Emiliano Buendia, the idea was maybe not playing all the minutes until the last moment. And I told him as well, he can feel it, it’s embarrassing.”

How has Sancho fared for Villa this term?

(Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)

To say Sancho’s spell in the Midlands has been anything but successful so far is an understatement.

The 25-year-old has featured only twice in the Premier League since signing for the club on deadline day last month.

He has watched on from the sidelines for three whole matches as an unused option, while he was also ill for their win over Burnley on October 5.

Yesterday marked his lengthiest cameo in a Villa shirt, with his only other top-flight appearance coming in the form of an eight-minute stint in the closing stages of a draw to Sunderland on September 21.