Exclusive: Jadon Sancho on life at Aston Villa, ‘great guy’ John McGinn and UEFA Champions League ambitions

Speaking to TNT Sports in an exclusive interview, Sancho was beaming when assessing the club’s performance so far this term.

“For the club it’s amazing,” he said. “From the start of the season, our ambition was to achieve Champions League football and win trophies, so I feel like the season has been going really well and for myself personally too.”

Sitting down with Sancho at the club’s training ground, there is a real sense that he is more relaxed and settled in his new environment.

The winger sealed a move to Villa on the last day of the summer transfer window on a season-long loan from Manchester United.

It is Sancho’s second loan spell in the Premier League after he spent the 2024/25 campaign at Chelsea.

Despite a tough start to the season, which saw Villa fail to win a single game until the end of September, the club have since kicked on and become serious contenders to finish in the UEFA Champions League spots.

As the season has progressed, Sancho has grown in confidence on the pitch, and he credited his team-mates for their role in his development.

‘Big shout out to John’ – Sancho on captain McGinn’s influence at Villa

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“It’s my team-mates and my manager that have been giving me that confidence and belief,” he said.

“My team-mates have been very good to me. I feel like I can do more because I know myself. But apart from that, I’m just happy that the team is doing well, and we’re in a good position.”

However, there is one player who stands out in Sancho’s mind.

“Obviously when you have a captain like John McGinn, you already know the vibes,” he explains.

“John has been great with me since day one, so big shout out to John for that.

“He’s such a great guy, he’s a nice guy on and off the pitch. When he’s on the pitch, he’s working very hard and off the pitch, he’s just a normal regular guy.

“Some people wouldn’t look at him as a captain, but when he’s on the pitch, you can tell why he’s the captain of Aston Villa and how he helps the team a lot.”

McGinn missed 10 games after sustaining an injury in January and his absence was felt with Villa only winning four and just picking up eight points from their last seven in the league.

Sancho on how ‘demanding’ Emery gets the best out of Villa squad

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Although McGinn’s absence has coincided with a dip in Villa’s form, they still hold their Champions League destiny in their hands, with fellow contenders Chelsea and Liverpool failing to capitalise.

With Unai Emery at the helm, Villa supporters will be confident that even if they fail to finish in the top five, the club can qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League this season.

The Spaniard has lifted the trophy a record four times during his managerial career and Sancho praised the Villa boss for getting the best out of the group.

“I think he’s very demanding of all of his players,” Sancho said. “He gives you a job to do, and you also work with his team around him to help your game and improve the team.

“As players, we just take that on board, we take that into games and what we can achieve together as a team when we perfect that plan is just perfect.”

‘Not just about stats’

Emery has shown a lot of faith in Sancho for their European matches this season, with the winger starting seven out of eight matches when fully fit.

The forward admitted that he could do more for the team, with his numbers showing he has contributed just one goal and one assist in all competitions so far.

‘These are the little things that matter’ – Sancho on importance of stats in football

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But Sancho believes that stats are not always an indicator to assess performances.

“I feel that stats are very important, especially for attacking players,” he said. “It does help your confidence, but it’s also not just about stats, it’s about the feeling in how you play.

“You just have to know your playing style and if you contribute to your team in terms of working defensively, these are the little things that matter.”

With Villa seeking to claim their first piece of silverware in 30 years, Sancho could be the club’s lucky charm.

The forward has incredibly played in three consecutive finals with three different teams.

Sancho experienced heartbreak in the first two, with Manchester City edging rivals United to win the 2023 FA Cup while Real Madrid overcame Borussia Dortmund to lift the 2024 UEFA Champions League.

It was third time lucky for Sancho last season when he scored and played a key role in helping Chelsea storm past Real Betis to win the UEFA Conference League.

Sancho nets ‘glorious goal’ to put Chelsea in control against Betis

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When asked if he could continue his amazing record of reaching finals at Villa, Sancho replied: “We always have to take it game by game.

“We can never get too far ahead of ourselves but we’re in a great position. If you believe, I’m sure you can achieve so that’s my method to it.

“As long as we keep on working hard throughout the season, I’m sure it’s possible [to reach another final].”

If Villa were to reach this year’s Europa League final in Istanbul, Sancho would have the chance to make history and become the first British player to score in back-to-back European finals.

“Personally, it would be an amazing achievement,” he explained. “I’ve been in three finals in the last three years so if we do get to another one it would be a nice feeling.

“For me, it would be nice for the fans and to celebrate with them in Birmingham. But it’s a big if.

“I want to focus on game by game and from then on, we’ll see what happens.”