Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has delivered a scathing assessment of Manchester United’s big-money signing Jadon Sancho, whom Chelsea signed on loan.

Mikel claimed on his podcast, “He’s deceived us.”

The Nigerian’s comments reflect growing frustrations over the player’s underwhelming performances since his move to Chelsea.

However, former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has a different perspective, emphasising the importance of confidence in a player’s development.

Wright-Phillips stated: “Confidence is a massive thing. You can see in elements of his game that he tries to make things happen. If you look at his past, before he joined Man United, whatever he did also worked. That builds confidence to make him do it again and again until he creates a chance or gets a shot or even scores a goal. It will come in time.”

Drawing from his own experience, Wright-Phillips highlighted the struggles wingers often face. “I was a winger myself, and there are elements in his game I recognise from going through periods of things just not happening. He just has to put his head down and keep going because we know he’s got the ability.”

He further reassured fans that talent does not simply disappear: “You can lose your pace, you lose confidence, but your ability to do things is always there. It’s just a matter of getting it out.”

While Mikel remains unconvinced, Wright-Phillips believes the player deserves more time to prove himself. The debate surrounding his performances continues, but one thing is clear—expectations remain high.