Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes reached out to Jadon Sancho with a supportive message following the forward’s impressive debut for Chelsea.
Sancho joined Chelsea on loan from Manchester United on deadline day, ending a difficult three-year spell at Old Trafford.
Although the English winger didn’t start in the match against Bournemouth on Sunday, he made an immediate impact after coming off the bench.
He caused trouble down the left side and assisted Christopher Nkunku, who scored the winning goal in the 86th minute.
After the match, Sancho took to Instagram to celebrate the win, captioning the post: ‘Delighted to make my Chelsea debut and to top it off with a win!’
Sancho’s former captain, Fernandes, was one of the players to send support in the comments, with the Portuguese playmaker replying: ‘Some player you. Keep that smile.’
Speaking after the game, Sancho, who was named player of the match, told Sky Sports: ‘First of all it is amazing to make my debut for Chelsea. Just being back playing I’m very grateful.
‘The team played very well and we are happy with the three points. I’ve been working hard for this moment and I’m happy I got my chance.
‘I had a great end to last season, being in the Champions League season. Going into this season, I wanted to have a good start and I’m happy.
‘I have to say thank you to the staff and team-mates. The first day I came in, they made me feel welcome and I’m so happy to feel this comfortable.’
Having seen his United career fall apart after a public row with Erik ten Hag, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said he was keen to nurture the 24-year-old back to his best.
‘I have the feeling that Jadon is a guy that needs to feel love,’ Maresca said at full-time.
‘This is what I thought when I spoke with him before he joined us. Also, he has the desire to show the player he is.
‘But for me, he has to just enjoy football. It’s the reason why they play, they’re happy and they want to enjoy football. Then, because they’re good, they’re going to do good things.’
