Enzo Maresca names the Chelsea player who has ‘surprised’ him

Enzo Maresca admits Jadon Sancho has ‘surprised’ him since joining Chelsea from Manchester United.

Sancho, 24, ended his dismal three-year spell at Old Trafford by joining Chelsea – the club he supported as a child – last summer.

Impressing at Borussia Dortmund earned Sancho a big-money move to Manchester United in 2021 but he struggled to make an impact for the Premier League giants and was mainly a bit-part player under Erik ten Hag.

His cause was not helped by a public bust-up with the former United boss, who sanctioned Sancho’s departure last summer after repeatedly overlooking him at the start of the season.

Chelsea signed Sancho on loan until the end of the season but the deal includes an obligation to buy next summer for between £20-25m.

Sancho enjoyed a promising first-half to the season, helping Chelsea emerge as surprise title contenders in the Premier League.

Maresca has been impressed by Sancho’s form at Stamford Bridge and says the England international has even ‘surprised’ him.

‘For me he’s doing very well,’ Maresca said. ‘I am quite surprised with Jadon.

‘I knew Jadon already [from seeing him at his previous clubs] and I know what I expected from him, but in terms of being consistent, he’s doing very well.

‘Apart from a short part of the season when he had some problems, when he was out ill, then for the rest he has been very good.

‘I expected him to do well, but for all the players doing well for a long period is not easy, and he has been doing well for a long period already. He’s doing well, now he just needs to continue going in that way.’

Given Sancho will end up costing Chelsea less than £25m, ex-Blues defender Glen Johnson believes his move to Stamford Bridge could be the ‘best transfer deal ever’.

‘Jadon Sancho’s move from Manchester United looks like a completely one-sided deal,’ he told Betfred last month.

‘These days, £23 million for a player like that, it’s like giving him away. What he’s done in the last few weeks is what we know he’s capable of, but he just needs to do it more often.

‘He looks like he’s enjoying himself and that’s why he’s putting in performances, so the manager and his backroom staff deserve credit too because these players that weren’t performing are now.

‘Getting Jadon to perform at a cost of £23m could be the best deal ever.’

Sancho, meanwhile, admits he is loving life at Chelsea as a former Londoner and is determined to help the team during the remainder of the campaign.

‘It’s still a bit weird to me, but it’s always good to be home,’ he told Chelsea’s official website. ‘My family is close, my friends are close.

‘I always supported Chelsea as a kid, because of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. And speaking to Enzo [Maresca] before I came here, he was determined to work with me.

‘He showed me his plans of where he sees me fitting in the team, and telling me how I could help the team moving forward.

‘That brought me here. He made me feel comfortable. I liked his energy on the FaceTime call we had.

‘This squad has a lot of great talent. It’s weird being one of the older players! There are a lot of young guys here. I have a lot of experience and I can show and help a couple of the younger ones coming through.

‘And they can help me. We can achieve something big if we all stick together and work hard together.’

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