Man Utd loanee Jadon Sancho branded an 'embarrassment' after being subbed on and off in same game as fans call out 'awful behaviour' towards Aston Villa boss Unai Emery

Sancho - Aston Villa

Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho has been branded as an "embarrassment" after being subbed on and off in the same game. Fans also called out Sancho's "awful behaviour" after he appeared to give the cold shoulder to Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery on the touchline, having only been given 45 minutes of action in their 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday.

Sancho put on the bench twice

United outcast Sancho did not feature in Emery's starting lineup to face City but was introduced in the game around the half-hour mark as he replaced Emiliano Buendia. Buendia picked up an injury and was forced off the pitch, after providing the assist for Matty Cash's 19th-minute winning goal. 

Sancho remained on the pitch for the next 45 minutes and had a couple of opportunities to increase the Villans' lead but he failed to keep his shots on target. Emery ultimately called the English winger back to the bench as he introduced Evann Guessand in the 74th minute. Sancho was visibly frustrated after being subbed off as he chose to ignore Emery on the touchline before heading back to the bench. The Spanish coach tried to comfort Sancho, but he was in no mood to listen to the coach's words.

'Sancho an outright embarrassment'

Fans reacted strongly to Sancho's actions on line, suggesting his attitude continues to hold back his development as a player.

UnitedAnalyst wrote on X: "Kadon Sancho subbed on and then subbed off. Didn’t shake hands with his replacement either. So the attitude problems start to show again. FREEDOM."

An X handle named footyball_bros wrote: "Sancho is an outright embarrassment to professional footballers out there. Says a lot about his attitude and character towards the game himself."@sojitweets added: "Sancho's body language when subbed....so so poor. Emery's moving towards him to embrace him and probably explain the reasoning but Sancho is clearly veering away to avoid him. Even when Emery holds his hand, Sancho's dragging away. Awful behaviour."

Aaron King launched an attack on the winger in another post: "Sancho subbed off after being subbed on in the 30th minute. He just ignored Emery and walked right past him. He's so sh*t and had a terrible attitude. Now he's just proven that it wasn't United that was the problem. It's him. Awful player."

Meanwhile, Scott Johnson used a hilarious Simpsons-themed GIF to poke fun at Sancho, which showed Grandpa Simpson entering and leaving the room almost immediately.

Sancho today https://t.co/dlxUvPn7PA pic.twitter.com/jCg2OuzoKP

Sancho's struggles continue

Sancho secured a loan move to Aston Villa in summer after failing to find a place in Ruben Amorim's United side. However, things have not gone well for the United loanee as his appearance against the Cityzens was only his second Premier League outing for the Villans to date. Sancho also suffered from an illness that kept him sidelined for a couple of matches in the English top-flight as well as in the Europa League. Emery may have tried to protect the 25-year-old as he only returned to action recently, but Sancho's behaviour might now impact his relationship with the Spanish coach. 

Pep Guardiola Manchester City 2025-26

City's nine-game unbeaten run ends

City started the 2025-26 campaign with a couple of losses against Brighton and Tottenham but they bounced strongly, riding on star striker Erling Haaland's terrific goalscoring. Pep Guardiola's side went unbeaten in nine consecutive matches across all competitions to re-emerge as title contenders. However, as Haaland endured a rare off day on the pitch against the Villans, the Cityzens' vulnerability was exposed and they succumbed to a costly 1-0 defeat. There is now just one point separating Villa and City in the table.