Jadon Sancho reveals he quit Man City for Dortmund as ‘youngsters get opportunities’
The 18-year-old took Europe by storm and won his first England cap in 2018 - despite being advised against moving to Germany
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JADON SANCHO says Borussia Dortmund's commitment to giving young players a chance convinced him to leave Manchester City.
The 18-year-old's career had flourished since arriving in Germany in 2017, making 39 appearances in 18 months at the club.
Thanks to Sancho's seven goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season Dortmund are top of the Bundesliga and into the last-16 of the Champions League - where they face Tottenham.
Though he has traded in regular silverware and the chance to work under Pep Guardiola, Sancho is under no illusion that he has made the right choice.
He told FourFourTwo: "Why Dortmund? It speaks for itself - youngsters get opportunities.
"You’ve got to thank Dortmund, because it’s unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters.
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"It was crazy how many clubs wanted me – it shows how well you’re doing, but I always felt Dortmund was right for me."
Such has been Sancho's success at the Westfalenstadion that he made his England senior debut last year.
In between substitute appearances in Nations League matches home and away against Croatia, he made his first start in the friendly win over USA.
Sancho has since been joined in the German top flight by Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson, who is on a season-long loan at Hoffenheim.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been urged to trade a role on the Chelsea bench for Bayern Munich but Sancho admits the move is not without uncertainty.
The South Londoner added: "Of course it was a big risk.
"I wasn’t guaranteed playing time, and I had to prove I was good enough to fit in with their side.
"A few people weren’t sure when I first told them about Dortmund, but I felt this was the best journey for me."
The Premier League is now among the most reliant divisions on foreign imports.
English players have featured in only around a third of the minutes in the top flight this season.
With opportunities for homegrown youngsters showing few signs of improving, Sancho wants academy graduates to consider playing abroad.
The winger added: "Just try it, you know? I like trying new things, so it didn’t really faze me. A few asked me, ‘What if it doesn’t work out?’ but I never thought about that. And look at how it’s worked out now."