There was a hope he would rediscover his form after securing a season-long loan move, much like Marcus Rashford has done with his resurgence at Barcelona. But so far, that has not materialised.
Aston Villa offered Sancho a lifeline in the summer when his options were severely limited. Manchester United had made it clear he had no future at Old Trafford and Villa moved for him late in the window as they ran out of alternative attacking targets.
A link up with Unai Emery represented a valuable opportunity for Sancho to prove he still belongs at the top level. Yet the early signs have not been convincing.
Sources suggest Sancho is heading into a challenging spell, despite being handed a major opportunity in his most recent appearance.
He was brought on as a substitute against Manchester City after just 29 minutes but withdrawn again on 74 - a scenario few players find easy to accept. Understandably, Sancho looked frustrated by the situation, even though Emery later insisted the substitution was about managing his fitness.
The boss maintains he is taking a longer-term view of Sancho’s conditioning and the next few matches should give us a clearer sense of how much faith he truly has in him.
Villa travel to Liverpool this weekend - precisely the type of fixture Sancho should be influencing at this stage of his career. Following that, games against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Bournemouth before the international break could provide him with the platform to stake a stronger claim for a starting place.
So far this season, Sancho’s only starts have come in the Carabao Cup against Brentford and the Europa League against Go Ahead Eagles - both of which ended in defeat.
At the end of the season, he faces a critical moment. His loan spell at Villa will expire, as will his contract with Manchester United. The Reds hold an option to extend but that seems unlikely on his current wages.
Sancho must prove himself over the coming months or, at the age of 25, he faces the harsh reality that his career is on a downward slope.
