Jadon Sancho's Meteoric Rise at Dortmund Set to Continue at the Expense of Christian Pulisic

Jadon Sancho's start to the season has been nothing short of sensational. The former Manchester City youngster has been so impressive that he has even displaced Dortmund boywonder of previous seasons, Christian Pulisic, who has found himself benched in recent weeks.

Pulisic has been Dortmund's poster boy in recent seasons, and has needed to be, with club talisman Marco Reus so often sidelined through injury. The 20-year-old has shone under various managers despite the club struggling for consistency since the departure of Thomas Tuchel in 2017.

The American winger has so often provided the creative spark for his side in attack since his introduction to the first team back in 2016. His importance to the side is further reflected in his number of starts last term; 27 out of a possible 32 Bundesliga games. 

This season, however, the arrival of Sancho has seen a shift in power at the Westfalenstadion. The spotlight is now firmly on the young Englishman's exploits, while Pulisic, two years Sancho's senior, has had to settle for appearances off the bench of late.

Sancho's departure from Manchester City came as a shock to many City fans who had hoped that the tricky wideman would follow in the footsteps of Phil Foden, now integrated into Pep Guardiola's first team plans. Many eyebrows were also raised at the reported figure of £8m for the then 17-year-old, who while undoubtedly possessing skill in abundance, was something of an unknown entity at the highest level.

Sancho's immediate inclusion into the first team squad under Lucien Favre further cemented media suggestions that Dortmund's coaching staff saw the teenager as ready for the big time. Since making his debut in August against Eintracht Frankfurt, Sancho has netted five times and assisted a further eight, making the club's significant initial outlay look like money well spent.

Sancho possesses the pace and trickery of the man he has superseded in Pulisic, but crucially, and unusually for a player of his limited first team experience, possesses excellent decision making. A trait often found wanting in young players. 

England manager Gareth Southgate added further weight to the youngster's meteoric rise in including him in his recent squad for a friendly against the USA as well as a crucial UEFA Nations League clash against Croatia. Sancho showed no signs of freezing on the international stage either as he displayed a calmness that belied his years in front of a sold out Wembley.

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Dortmund secured their man's services permanently with the youngster penning a contract that is set to keep him at the Bundesliga club till 2022. The more Sancho continues to shine in the Bundesliga however, the more it feels as though a return to more familiar shores beckons.

With a host of English clubs purportedly tracking the teenager, it is surely only a matter of time before big-money offers are made to Dortmund, to bring one of the most promising talents to emerge from English football in recent memory back to the Premier League.