England boss Gareth Southgate has explained his decision to start Jadon Sancho in the Euro 2020 quarter-final against Ukraine. Sancho had made just one substitute appearance so far in the tournament before being named in the starting XI in Rome. The selection comes just two days after Manchester United announced they had agreed a £73million deal to sign the Borussia Dortmund star.
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"We're just looking for those moments where they're really fighting in training, where they're playing with aggression on the ball, and he's really shown that.
"And as I say his profile for this game, we need one against one specialists in this fixture, he's got that capability."
Meanwhile, United legend Rio Ferdinand agrees Sancho's ability to take on opponents is why he is suited to play against Ukraine.
Ferdinand said: “In them areas there, where Jadon plays, [Phil] Foden, [Marcus] Rashford, [Raheem] Sterling, [Bukayo] Saka, [Jack] Grealish - that area there is the strongest in the squad without a doubt.
"You can put any player in there and everyone will have a cause for an argument to say they should be playing.
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England vs Ukraine: Jadon Sancho has struggled for minutes at Euro 2020 so far (Image: GETTY)
"Jadon Sancho is playing on the right-hand side because he can beat people one-on-one on the outside, he can cross the ball, and they’re the areas where he probably sees a weakness in this Ukraine team.
"This kid will not be fazed, he’s made big decisions in his career.
"He left London to go to Watford, I think he was 13 or 14-years-old, he went to Man City after that and then decided he wasn’t getting a chance there.
"He then went to Dortmund, took risks, but showed courage and showed character - so this won’t faze him.
"He’s now made an unbelievable move to Manchester United, which I’m delighted about, obviously. Yes, there will be pressure, but this kid lives under pressure.”