Agbonlahor urges Man Utd fans to 'support' Sancho as he struggles for form

Gabby Agbonlahor has explained why Man Utd fans need to 'support' Jadon Sancho more than ever as he tries to get his career back on track.

The 22-year-old netted 38 goals and 45 assists in four seasons at Borussia Dortmund, with Man Utd eventually buying him for £72million in 2021.

Things have not gone to plan at Old Trafford, however, with Sancho scoring five goals and setting up four more for his teammates in 39 Premier League appearances over the past two seasons.

This poor form saw Sancho dropped by England with others selected ahead of him by Gareth Southgate for the World Cup in Qatar.

And Agbonlahor thinks Sancho's struggles at Man Utd are 'more mental than physical' after he took down his social media.

"When you start deleting your Instagram posts, there's something that's not... there's something that's bothering you - you're not yourself," Agbonlahor told < em>talkSPORT.

"For him, not being with Manchester United and training with them, I think it's more mental than physical. I think his mental health is in the wrong place.

"I think it's a bit of both, a lack of confidence but he feels depressed.

"He probably thought to himself, he's this young lad playing his best football at Borussia Dortmund, he gets his big shot, he's playing for England and all of a sudden he's out of the team, seeing his friends go to the World Cup.

"It probably cost him dearly. He needs support around him. Mental health is for everyone, you can't choose.

"People say that because you make exceptional money, your mental health should be fine, you are a millionaire.

"But he obviously struggles, he needs the support of his family and his teammates and he needs people to be there for him.

"He did the right thing by coming out of social media. Sometimes when you're not playing your best football and the fans see you still enjoying life, go here, go there... you have to stop giving them ammo.

"Behind the scenes, he's probably got his own personal trainer, trying to get his fitness and sanity back on track."

When asked for an update on Sancho earlier this week, Man Utd boss Ten Hag replied: "I don't think he'll be back this week, no.

"We want to bring him back as soon as possible, but I can't predict when that will be.

"Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. We've had a drop in quality and sometimes you don't know why or what's causing it." That's what we're doing now to try to get him back there. It's a combination of physical and mental."

READ MORE: Transfer comments: Man Utd ask about Benfica striker who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo