When it became clear Manchester United had no use for Jadon Sancho this season, his eyes must have lit up when Aston Villa came calling.

A move to the Midlands seemingly made sense, with a vacancy having opened at left wing in Unai Emery’s starting line-up.

That role had been previously occupied by Marcus Rashford , Sancho’s just-about Manchester United teammate who breathed new life into his career while on loan at Villa for the second half of last season.

And Sancho, on loan at Chelsea himself last term, not only saw this revival up close but got the Villa seal of approval from Rashford before joining them on loan on deadline day, revealing he called the club “a family and you feel that friendly environment”.

This environment appeared particularly inviting for superstar loanees. A

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