Europe's most valuable teenage footballer feels 'scapegoated' for his side's poor start this season, despite being its most effective player
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Jadon Sancho.
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Jadon Sancho, Europe's most valuable teenage footballer, feels "scapegoated" for Borussia Dortmund's poor recent form, reports The Athletic.
Two weeks ago, the 19-year-old was substituted after just 36 minutes for being "not good enough", while last month he was dropped and fined $110,000 for returning late from international duty, according to AS.
The Athletic says sources close to the player said such treatment has made him feel "unfairly used to shoulder much of the blame" for his side's form.
Sancho is expected to leave Dortmund at the end of the season, and is linked with Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Real Madrid, says the report.
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Jadon Sancho feels "scapegoated" for his side's poor recent form, despite being its most effective player this season, says The Athletic.
The report adds that the treatment is making him feel like he is having to shoulder much of the blame for Borussia Dortmund's poor form, even though his own performance-level remains satisfactory.
Sancho, who is valued at $220 million by the CIES Football Observatory, has enjoyed a strong individual start to the season with Dortmund, scoring five goals and registering seven assists in 17 games across all competitions.
Lucien Favre's side on the whole however, have struggled for such consistency.
After kicking off the season in style with an emphatic 2-0 win over rivals Bayern Munich to secure the German Super Cup, and winning the subsequent four games, Dortmund has since won just six, drawn six, and lost three.
Its two most recent games have been particularly disappointing, having first been thrashed by Munich 4-0 at the Allianz Arena, before drawing 3-3 with the Bundesliga's bottom side SC Paderborn.
During the former, Sancho was hauled off after just 36 minutes, with Favre saying the 19-year-old was "not good enough," according to Bleacher Report.
Last month, Sancho was also dropped and fined $110,000 by Dortmund after returning late from international duty with England, says AS.
And according to The Athletic such treatment, in particular the events in Munich, has left the teenager feeling "humiliated, scapegoated, and unprotected by his employers."
The report says that sources close to Sancho say that the forward believes "Dortmund's inconsistent campaign has resulted in finger-pointing," and that "he is being unfairly used to shoulder much of the blame."
Fortunately for Sancho, his troubles at the Signal Iduna Park could soon be coming to an end, with the 19-year-old widely expected to leave Germany in search of a new challenge by the end of the season.
Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Sancho next summer, while his former club, Manchester City, has also not ruled out bringing him back to The Etihad Stadium.
Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has already conceded Sancho will leave the club in the near future, saying: "You don't have to be a prophet to know that Jadon will certainly not play here for another five years."
Dortmund next take on Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 27.
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