Jadon Sancho was told to play at right-back for Manchester City to combat ‘very, very confident’ attitude that could ‘scare’ coaches

Manchester City have had to play Jadon Sancho at right-back to help combat their confidence in their own abilities within the academy.

The 24-year-old spent two years in Man City’s youth system after joining Watford in 2015 following eight years at the Hornets.

During these two years, he became one of the most popular youngsters in the world, attracting interest from all over Europe.

Former City academy coach Darren Bowman worked closely with Sancho during his time in the Citizens’ youth teams.

And speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, Bowman described the incredible amount of talent and self-belief the winger had from a young age.

“I really enjoyed working with him when he first came to the club,” Bowman said. “He was a mercurial talent, there’s no doubt about that. A complete non-conformist.

“He was incredibly talented, but when you have someone who believes so much in his abilities, which Jadon certainly had in abundance, you have to know how to handle them.”

City therefore attempted to manage Sancho by making him focus on football as a team game and exposing him to the impact he had in other positions.

Bowman continued: “He is an extremely talented footballer who, when playing well, is a joy to watch.

“But he’s very, very confident. Very confident in his abilities. I think for some coaches and some managers it maybe scares them a little bit.

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“For me, I encouraged him because I wanted to see him express himself and develop. However, at the same time, you must understand that it is also a team game.

“So when we had him, we played him at right-back, so he understood what it would be like to play behind him on the wing.

“We wouldn’t do it for full matches, it would only be for 15 to 20 minutes because he learned very quickly.”

The impact this had on Sancho was clearly positive as he would go on to become one of the most in-demand wingers in Europe.

He eventually left Man City to join Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for around £8 million and his high potential was realized.

And it led to a £73 million move back to England to Manchester United, where his career unfortunately took a step backwards.

After a public row with manager Erik ten Hag following a “lack of performance” in training, he was exiled from the United squad until he apologized.

Sancho refused to apologize and was subsequently loaned to Dortmund last summer.

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It looked like his overconfident attitude at Man City may have gotten the better of him at Old Trafford, but Bowman believes the right manager can get him back to his best.

He explained: “It’s like any player, if you know them and have the ability to deal with them, you can get the most out of them.

“What happened happened, but what I know for Jadon is that if and when he gets back into the right environment for him and under the right management that understands and understands him, then you will see you return to your best very quickly. .

“For me, it makes me a little sad and frustrated for Jadon.

“I don’t know the ins and outs or why this situation is what it is, but what I can say is that if and when he has the right leadership, the right environment and the right platform , you will see Sancho.”