Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund Photo: VCG
Borussia Dortmund and England star Jadon Sancho will be out to silence his critics when his side take on Club Brugge in their third Champions League group game on Wednesday.
While fellow youngsters Erling Braut Haaland and Giovanni Reyna have hogged the headlines in Dortmund this season, 20-year-old winger Sancho has come under fire in recent weeks for an alleged lack of form.
The Englishman has picked up just two assists in his first five Bundesliga games this season, compared to five assists and three goals at the same stage last term.
Critics suggest that Sancho, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, has been distracted by speculation over his future.
"Since his departure from Dortmund didn't work out, Sancho has been a shadow of his former self," wrote NTV on their website last month. "There was a lot of talk about him leaving, and that can have an influence," said coach Lucien Favre when asked about Sancho's form.
The 20-year-old hit back last week, scoring the crucial opening goal as Dortmund battled to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Zenit Saint Petersburg.
After defeat in their opening game against Lazio, Sancho's performance helped Dortmund to avoid a nightmare start to their European campaign in a group from which they are expected to qualify. The German side are counting on their English star to deliver again as they look to fight their way into the top two of Group F with a win in Bruges.
His performance will be all the more important if Dortmund are forced to go without Norwegian sensation Haaland, who missed last week's 2-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld with a knee problem.
Haaland and US teenager Reyna have overshadowed Sancho this season, picking up 10 goals and eight assists between them in all competitions.
Yet despite his quieter start to the campaign, there are signs that Sancho may already be maturing into a more senior role in the dressing room.
Now in his fourth Bundesliga season, Sancho has taken fellow Englishman Jude Bellingham under his wing since the 17-year-old joined Dortmund from Birmingham City in July.
That relationship has borne fruit, with Bellingham picking up his first Champions League assist last week, and Dortmund hope that the young English duo can now help steer them toward the knockout stages.