Enzo Maresca has made his Jadon Sancho feelings clear as he 'falls back into old ways'

Jadon Sancho has been told what Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca expects from him, as Jamie O’Hara suggests the winger is slipping back into his Manchester United slump. After a turbulent time with Erik ten Hag and a dip from his peak at Borussia Dortmund, Sancho switched to Stamford Bridge this summer, hoping for a clean slate.

Yet, setbacks, including illness, lacklustre performances, and a recent injury, have seen him absent from Maresca’s selections in recent games. Now, with the international break over, Sancho might be eyeing a return to action.

Despite this, ex-Tottenham and Wolves player O’Hara has voiced concerns that Sancho is reverting to the “old ways” that led to his marginalisation at Old Trafford, even as his loan move is on track to become permanent next year. However, these remarks are unlikely to rattle Maresca, who had a telling discussion with Sancho prior to his transfer to Chelsea.

From their very first conversation, Maresca made it clear what he expects from the 24-year-old: “Listen, we have Jadon, these kinds of players. Before they joined, I had a chat with them, and one of my messages was if you come here and don’t work properly, you are not going to play,” he revealed in September, a fortnight after Sancho’s signing.

“The message was clear. For Jadon. I said, ‘the reason I’m speaking to you is that I really like you. If you come here in the way that we want, we are happy. But if you come there and don’t work hard, it’s better if you don’t come.'”

However, after witnessing a dip in Sancho’s early season displays, despite initial promise with three assists in his first three Premier League starts for Chelsea, O’Hara didn’t mince words, telling Grosvenor Sport: “Jadon Sancho’s been given an opportunity at Chelsea to prove people wrong, but it hasn’t happened yet.

“I think Enzo Maresca has worked out that Sancho isn’t as good as a lot of them. Manchester United spent a lot of money on him, and it didn’t work out, so he’s gone to Chelsea and showed signs of brilliance and confidence at the start, but he seems to have fallen back into his old ways since.

“The problem with Sancho at Chelsea is that there are better players than him in that squad Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke are more influential than him. He needs to try and produce moments when he gets the chance to impress, or he’ll stay where he is in the pecking order.”

Despite the challenges faced by Sancho, including illness and injuries, Maresca maintained a positive tone when discussing the 24-year-old’s work earlier in the summer, meaning he could be reintegrated upon his return, reports the Mirror.

“Jadon has been working well with us since he arrived. I love Jadon, I love the players we have,” Maresca previously stated. “I knew him in terms of a player and what I have seen in two weeks is exactly what I expected.

“With the way we play he is that kind of player who can help us a lot, especially in the last third – when we arrive there so many times and need more quality, more patience, more accuracy.”