FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: Borussia Dortmund prodigy Jadon Sancho could be the jewel in England's crown

Growing up in south London, an area notorious for its high crime rate, is a huge task in itself. As a teenager, the options on the table are few. Many get lost in the hustle and bustle of the city, while many find an escape route in murders, burglaries and youth violence, which have terrorised the streets of the once-glowing London. However, football is still very famous in every corner of the capital. Jadon Sancho, who grew up in one of these dangerous localities, had his own way of getting out of this difficult situation and go on to become England’s brightest prospect this year. “After school, I always just wanted to play football,” he was quoted as saying by German daily BILD. “Around me, a lot of people were doing some bad things, but I didn’t want anything to do with that,” he added. Thankfully, he had already begun to keep his feet on the ground, having joined Watford at the age of seven. As a south London lad, the hunger to succeed was evident when he stepped onto the field and that often comes after learning life the hard way. [caption id=“attachment_4095283” align=“alignnone” width=“850”] File image of Pep Guardiola and Jadon Sancho. Twitter: @Sanchooo[/caption] An explosive winger, Sancho caught the eye of insiders of European football, but his attacking prowess first led to interest from Manchester City. The European heavyweights snapped him up at a tender age of 15, where the teenager blossomed in the following season, netting 12 goals and providing four assists in just 14 matches. Sancho also scored twice in the UEFA Youth League, the youth equivalent of the UEFA Champions League. “When City came along I thought it was a good opportunity to get out of the hood. There were a lot of bad influences,” the 16-year-old winger said. Moreover, Sancho was named as the Golden Player at the European Under-17 Championships — an award previously won by Toni Kroos, Cesc Fabregas and Wayne Rooney. The 16-year-old was England’s top scorer with five goals, and added five assists as they reached the final, only to suffer a cruel loss at the hands of Spain on penalties.

👏 That pass from @England's Phil Foden, though. The finish by Jadon Sancho isn't bad either. 🔥 #U17EURO pic.twitter.com/DzxUVAyAKe

— UEFA.com (@UEFAcom) May 17, 2017

City boss Pep Guardiola was left in awe of the young Briton and as a reward, he was promoted to the team’s reserve side, where he again impressed with three goals and two assists. Then came a moment which he still has to pinch himself about. After impressing the coaches, he was soon called up to train with the first team. No, this wasn’t the moment. While he was training, Guardiola walked towards him, placed a fatherly arm around the teenager’s shoulder and reportedly told him to play without fear because he was going to be a future superstar. At 16, he should have felt like the top of the world. [caption id=“attachment_4095279” align=“alignnone” width=“850”]  Jadon Sancho celebrates with Phil Foden (L) after scoring a goal for England. Twitter: @Sanchooo[/caption] All he had to do thereafter was stay afloat and continue to take everybody by surprise. Blessed with the ability to play with both feet, Sancho is a player who can operate on either side of flank and is mazy dribbler who runs into spaces to make quick off-the-ball movements. He is also the man to be trusted in front of the goal. He bagged 15 goals in 19 starts for the U-18s, and when asked to step up to the under-21s, he added another five in just 12 appearances. More importantly, the move to City further developed his qualities by playing with the equally talented Stockport lad Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz for the U-18s. Despite having a good relationship with the club, Sancho decided that it was time to spread his wings. A move to Germany was on the cards. New city, same target A player needs to have a lot of maturity and courage in order to move to a new city altogether. Sancho was off to a strange land, but he was not a stranger. His goalscoring prowess and ambitions had Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund waiting, who successfully lured the whizkid from City for a reported £9 million, making Sancho the first Englishman to play for the German club. He was handed the vacant No 7 jersey following the departure of Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona in the summer. Dembele was named Bundesliga’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ and was a part of Bundesliga’s ‘Team of the Year’ ahead of experienced stalwarts. Sancho had been handed the responsibility of replacing the Frenchman, which shows the London-born attacking midfielder’s worth in the market. “Sancho is a huge talent. He’s one of the biggest talents of his age group in England. We don’t only talk about developing talents, we give them playing time at a high level.” Michael Zorc told  BVB’s TV channel. Since signing with BVB on the final day of the summer transfer window, Sancho is still waiting for clearance to play for his club. However, fans around the world can catch a glimpse of the electrifying attacker at the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup in India after Young Lions coach Steve Cooper named him in the 21-man squad. England have been drawn in Group F alongside CONCACAF champions Mexico, Asian champions Iraq, and Chile, who finished second in the South American U-17 Championships. It will be interesting to see how England fare against these sides after missing out on lifting the European U-17 Championships by a whisker. Sancho has been a vital cog wherever he has played and after guiding England to the final just months ago, the 17-year-old will be eager to put up a brave face and seal a maiden title for his country.