Jadon Sancho came off the bench in the second half of Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 Bundesliga win over Darmstadt to set up Marco Reus for his side's second goal just two days after ending his Man Utd exile; Sancho: "I'm just happy to be back on the pitch again. It was meant to be"
Sunday 14 January 2024 07:27, UK
Jadon Sancho marked his return to Borussia Dortmund with an assist and says his aim is "to be happy again" following his loan move from Manchester United.
Sancho came off the bench in the second half of Saturday's 3-0 Bundesliga win over Darmstadt to set up Marco Reus for Dortmund's second goal (77) just two days after ending his Old Trafford exile.
The 23-year-old had previously left Dortmund for United in the summer of 2021 but has made just three appearances for Erik ten Hag's side this season after becoming embroiled in a row with the Dutchman.
Despite a lack of game time, Sancho looked right at home on his first competitive appearance since August 2023 as Dortmund earned their first win in five league games following a three-week winter break.
His assist helped Dortmund take a 2-0 lead following Julian Brandt's first-half opener (24) and the visitors added a third in stoppage time through Youssoufa Moukoko (90+2).
Speaking after the match, Sancho said he is hoping his return to Germany will help him rediscover his love for football.
"Ever since I've come back I have felt at home and I'm just happy to be back on the pitch again," he said.
"It was meant to be, coming back and seeing Marco again. He's a great friend of mine and I'm happy to set up his goal.
"[My goal is] to be happy again, to be back on the pitch and to help the team, get them back in the top three and qualify for the Champions League.
"I've got personal goals which I'm not going to say for now. I just want to help the team and I'm very positive about the second half of the season.
"We kept a clean sheet which was really important and we just take it game by game. The team have objectives and I'm sure we'll do well if we fight every game."
The victory saw Dortmund move up to fifth in the Bundesliga table, three points behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig but 15 adrift of leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Darmstadt remain bottom.
The winter transfer window is now open and will close at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Thursday 1 February, 2024.
To ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe, the closing dates were set following discussions with the EFL, DFL, Serie A, LaLiga, and LFP, who will all close their summer and winter windows on 1 September and 1 February respectively.
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