The 'Echte Liebe' is there, but Jadon Sancho, so far, isn't working out:

Let me start of by saying I am a huge fan of Jadon Sancho, few were happier than me to see him return to the Westfalenstadion in January, it was like a dream come true, and the many thousands of number ten shirts sold are testimony to the fact that I am very much far from being alone with this sentiment.

In reality though Jadon Sancho has delivered the fourth weak game in a row for Dortmund this past weekend. The winger, who is on loan from Manchester United, has simply not worked out for BVB so far. The clock is ticking. The South Londoner has just 10 games left to show he is worth a permanent deal.

Sebastian Kehl during his appearance on Germany's Sport1 TV's-'Doppelpass' football show, on Sunday, made his expectations very clear: "We are ready to give him the chance to show that he can do it again, but I don't have time. He has no time, we don't have time. So, if he wants to come here and demand time to prove himself that's not possible."

What was surprising about the outburst was that just a few days ago, at BVB's Hohenbuschei training ground, quizzed by Dirk Krampe of Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper about the England winger's progress, Kehl contradicted this saying: "Jadon isn't the old Jadon yet, but he can't be after two months. You have to give him time, he's a gamechanger for me, and will be very important for us this season." Either way, one thing is clear; the Sporting director is starting to get frustrated with the Manchester United loanee's performances.

Sancho has eight competitive games and 504 minutes of action under his belt in Dortmund. The 23-year-old is however miles away from the "Gamechanger" that Kehl described him as having the potential to be when he signed in January. At the moment this Sancho has nothing to do with the "old" Sancho, who scored 114 goals in 135 competitive games between 2017 and 2021.

In what was a convincing team performance in the win at Union Berlin, Sancho was one of Dortmund's weakest players. It was the fourth game in a row in which Sancho has barely got a foot on the ground.

Instead BVB have got out of Sancho exactly what was most likely to happen to a player who had not played a competitive match for months, and had not been training professionally; once back under the cosh, muscle injuries have arisen which notably led to an absence against Heidenheim and Freiburg.

Realistically there shouldn't have been such unrealistic expectations on a player who has been out of action for six months. However, as is often the case with players returning to the club, and there have been some notable successes; Mats Hummels for one, things had initially looked quite promising. Sancho provided an assist on his debut at Darmstadt 98, and a week later at 1.FC K?ln he won an important penalty. There was little sign of a lack of fitness; instead, the 23-time international looked eager to make an impact.

This brief high however appears to not only have taken its toll on Sancho's body, but has also been followed by a further downturn in form. Sancho's performances show that he has lost a lot of substance during his time at United.

Looking at his performances at times is painful. The issues seem to be mainly in the player's psyche: in addition to match practice, he lacks conviction, consistency and real penetration. Sancho is certainly willing; against VfL Wolfsburg, he completed 21 sprints in the first 45 minutes alone. He wins just over half of the one-on-one duels - but he just too rarely looks for them.

It almost seems as if he doesn't really trust himself right now. That would have been acceptable at first, as Sancho could just be lacking self-confidence. Now, however, with almost ten games under his belt, it should just be starting to get easier for him.

However, the opposite is the case: when Sancho is on the ball, he produces little. He usually gets bogged down and gets stuck, which means he doesn't generate any depth for the team or space in spite of his pace. Finesse, ideas, surprises? So far these have all been in short supply. In a team without flow, Sancho provides little impetus.

Jadon tries hard, he tries a lot, and perhaps is a little unlucky. He missed a few balls he might have been expected to get, perhaps it's concentration lapses? Asked about his performance in the first leg against Eindhoven, Sebastian Kehl underlined his expectations once more but also emphasised Sancho's own on himself: "We have the highest expectations of the boy, but he also has the highest expectations of himself,".

The sporting director however also underlined the support available for Sancho at BVB: "Jadon, like all of us, has not managed to reach his best. We know that he still has room for improvement and we will support him".

However, given the Englishman's current form, and the ongoing tense sporting situation with Dortmund in a tense battle for a Champions League place, and the potential of there being a gaping hole in the club's finances if they fail to qualify, Edin Terzic will have to think very carefully about how he wants to proceed with Sancho.

A permanent signing of Sancho is also holding back the talents of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who made three vital assists in the three January games and has been on a decent run recently, but has frustratingly been on the bench four times in a row.

It is little wonder that Sancho still needs time, but BVB do not have time to give. Above all, he must now rediscover the courage in future appearances that distinguished him, in addition to his outstanding statistics in his first spell at Dortmund. Sancho must once again play with more determination and conviction if he is to be rewarded with a permanent signing.

As things stand, Borussia still have ten matches to play. The congenial former Manchester City player will therefore not have many more opportunities to recommend himself to BVB, United, or any other club.

"In the end it will take money, a lot of money. Definitely a lot more than we have at the moment, that much is clear. We got over 80 million euros for Jadon from Manchester United and they will of course have an interest in either taking him back in the summer or selling him again in a deal that makes sense for them. Whether that also makes sense for BVB however is a different matter all together," speaking to Matthias Dersch of Kicker, Sebastian Kehl commented this week about a permanent signing of the winger.

From Borussia Dortmund's point of view, a permanent signing sounds like an almost impossible undertaking as things stand. Judging by the impressions we have gained of the player so far, the end of Sancho's second era at BVB, could be significantly less painful for us fans than the first.