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Borussia Dortmund boss Favre defends 'superstar' Sancho after poor form

Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre has defended Jadon Sancho following a loss of form in the past few weeks.

Sancho, 19, was taken off after just 36 minutes of Dortmund's 4-0 defeat away to Bayern Munich. He was hit with an internal suspension ahead of the clash with Borussia Monchengladbach following a late return from international duty with England.

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However, Favre has said Sancho is suffering due to the high standards he has set for himself, having contributed three goals and seven assists in 15 matches in all competitions this seasons.

"He is a real character and I get along with him really well," Dortmund coach Lucien Favre told Bild on Friday. "If you look at the debate, you should not forget that we are discussing a 19-year-old who has a lot of pressure on his shoulders and who, given his age, has played incredibly consistently for a long time."

In the 2018-2019 season, Sancho scored 13 goals and set up 19 in 43 appearances for Dortmund, while he also debuted for England and has since made 11 international appearances, finding the net twice.

He has been rated at around €100 million by Dortmund and the club have said they do not believe the player will stay at the Westfalenstadion forever.

Manchester United are among the clubs reportedly chasing Sancho, who has also flirted with a move to La Liga in the past.

"He is a superstar in England by now," Favre said. "There are fresh headlines every day, there are rumours, there are talks about millions and millions.

"He is confronted with all of that. It's not easy to digest that for anyone. We knew already going into this season, we'd be up for big challenge. Jadon is maturing.

"Like every player of his age, he has to learn to lead a professional and focused life. If he can do it, he can become one of the best. We help him with that."