Sancho was part of Watford’s academy before he joined City (Picture: Getty) Jadon Sancho revealed he left Manchester City to join Borussia Dortmund to secure first-team playing opportunities. Sancho departed the Manchester club back in 2017 for a fee in the region, and he has excelled in the Bundesliga since his move. The 18-year-old has bagged seven goals for the club this season, and has played a pivotal part in the side securing their current Bundesliga top spot. But when asked why he decided to leave Manchester City, a club who are at the top of English football, he insisted it was down to minutes on the pitch rather than pounds in the bank. ‘It’s been the best year of my life,’ Sancho told FourFourTwo magazine regarding 2018. ‘If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be talking to you now, I’d have thought you were crazy. ‘Why Dortmund? It speaks for itself: youngsters get opportunities. ‘You’ve got to thank Dortmund, because it’s unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters. ‘It was crazy how many clubs wanted me – it shows how well you’re doing, but I always felt Dortmund was right for me.’ Borussia Dortmund’s next fixture is against Werder Bremen on Tuesday in the DFB Cup. MORE : Bayern Munich prepared to wait in pursuit of Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi<doc-sep>JADON SANCHO says Borussia Dortmund's commitment to giving young players a chance convinced him to leave Manchester City. The 18-year-old's career had flourished since arriving in Germany in 2017, making 39 appearances in 18 months at the club. 4 Sancho has played a role in 19 goals this season Credit: AP:Associated Press Thanks to Sancho's seven goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season Dortmund are top of the Bundesliga and into the last-16 of the Champions League - where they face Tottenham. Though he has traded in regular silverware and the chance to work under Pep Guardiola, Sancho is under no illusion that he has made the right choice. He told FourFourTwo: "Why Dortmund? It speaks for itself - youngsters get opportunities. "You’ve got to thank Dortmund, because it’s unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters. 4 Sancho didn't get a look-in at Man City Credit: Getty Images - Getty "It was crazy how many clubs wanted me – it shows how well you’re doing, but I always felt Dortmund was right for me." Such has been Sancho's success at the Westfalenstadion that he made his England senior debut last year. In between substitute appearances in Nations League matches home and away against Croatia, he made his first start in the friendly win over USA. Sancho has since been joined in the German top flight by Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson, who is on a season-long loan at Hoffenheim. 4 Sancho made his first England start against USA Credit: Alamy Live News Callum Hudson-Odoi has been urged to trade a role on the Chelsea bench for Bayern Munich but Sancho admits the move is not without uncertainty. The South Londoner added: "Of course it was a big risk. "I wasn’t guaranteed playing time, and I had to prove I was good enough to fit in with their side. "A few people weren’t sure when I first told them about Dortmund, but I felt this was the best journey for me." 4 Reiss Nelson has continued the English exodus by moving to Hoffenheim Credit: Getty - Contributor The Premier League is now among the most reliant divisions on foreign imports. English players have featured in only around a third of the minutes in the top flight this season. With opportunities for homegrown youngsters showing few signs of improving, Sancho wants academy graduates to consider playing abroad. The winger added: "Just try it, you know? I like trying new things, so it didn’t really faze me. A few asked me, ‘What if it doesn’t work out?’ but I never thought about that. And look at how it’s worked out now."<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get City news sent directly to your inbox! Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice England international Jadon Sancho raised plenty of eyebrows when he left Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund in 2017. His Deadline Day summer move saw him make the instant jump from City's youth team to Dortmund's senior Bundesliga squad. And his brave move has paid dividends in a big way, with his stunning breakthrough leading to an England call-up towards the end of last year. His value has sky rocketed from the £8million it took for Dortmund to secure his services, with his value now thought to be around £90m. The 18-year-old star has revealed the chance to get first-team opportunities as a youngster at a big club tempted him to make the move. (Image: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) “It’s been the best year of my life. If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be talking to you now, I’d have thought you were crazy," Sancho told FourFourTwo magazine. “Why Dortmund? It speaks for itself: youngsters get opportunities. “You’ve got to thank Dortmund, because it’s unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters. "It was crazy how many clubs wanted me – it shows how well you’re doing, but I always felt Dortmund was right for me." (Image: Alexandre Simoes) Sancho's success has sparked a massive demand for British teenagers in the German top flight. Reiss Nelson has impressed on loan at Hoffenheim, whilst Arsenal team-mate Emile Smith Rowe has just joined RB Leipzig on loan with Eddie Nketiah almost following suit. Bayern Munich have also been relentless in their pursuit of Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea .<doc-sep>England prodigy Jadon Sancho has revealed why he chose to join Borussia Dortmund in 2017 despite interest from a 'crazy' number of clubs. The former Manchester City youngster has gone from strength to strength in the German top flight, scoring seven times and sharing top spot for assists with Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich on nine. Sancho left the Etihad for £8million despite the club's determination to keep hold of him. And he has now seen as a trailblazer for English talent seeking more first team opportunities overseas. Jadon Sancho had a phenomenal 2018 after joining Borussia Dortmund from Manchester City The England winger has scored six times and set-up nine other strikes in the Bundesliga 'Why Dortmund? It speaks for itself: youngsters get opportunities,' the eighteen-year-old told the latest issue of FourFourTwo. 'You've got to thank Dortmund, because it's unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters. SANCHO'S STATS APPS: 20 GOALS: 6 ASSISTS: 9 MINS PER GOAL: 211 Advertisement 'It was crazy how many clubs wanted me – it shows how well you're doing, but I always felt Dortmund was right for me.' Sancho was capped three times by England in 2018, rounding off an explosive year that he described as the best of his life. Germany is quickly becoming a hotbed for the next generation of Three Lions talent. Last month saw Arsenal's England U17 World Cup winner Emile Smith Rowe join RB Leipzig on loan, while another Manchester City academy product, Welsh winger Rabbi Matondo, followed in Sancho's footsteps by joining Schalke for a reported £10million. Sancho chose to leave Manchester City in search of more first team opportunities Sancho admitted moving abroad was a risk, but he encouraged other youngsters to take the plunge to get coveted game-time. 'Of course it was a big risk,' he added. 'I wasn't guaranteed playing time, and I had to prove I was good enough to fit in with their side. 'A few people weren't sure when I first told them about Dortmund, but I felt this was the best journey for me. 'Just try it, you know? I like trying new things, so it didn't really faze me. A few asked me, 'What if it doesn't work out?' but I never thought about that. And look at how it's worked out now...'<doc-sep>
Jadon Sancho has revealed why he swapped the Blue Wonderwall of Manchester City for the Yellow Wall of Borussia Dortmund. The 18-year-old took a 'big risk' in the summer of 2017 when he departed Manchester in a deal worth £7m but the risk has paid off and Sancho has now become a trailblazer for young English talent to go abroad for succsess. The electric winger has scored six goals, made nine assists and made his England debut during his meteoric rise this season and he's revealed it's Dortmund's faith in young players that convinced him to depart for Germany. “Why Dortmund? It speaks for itself: youngsters get opportunities,” he said in a interview with FourFourTwo magazine. "You’ve got to thank Dortmund, because it’s unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters. "It was crazy how many clubs wanted me – it shows how well you’re doing, but I always felt Dortmund was right for me. “Of course it was a big risk. I wasn’t guaranteed playing time, and I had to prove I was good enough to fit in with their side. A few people weren’t sure when I first told them about Dortmund, but I felt this was the best journey for me. "Just try it, you know? I like trying new things, so it didn’t really faze me. A few asked me, ‘What if it doesn’t work out?’ but I never thought about that. And look at how it’s worked out now...” Sancho has become a household name this season with some incredible performances, most notably putting German giants Bayern Munich to the sword and scoring against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. It's been an unforgettable year for the London-born Sancho, who spent two years at City, he reflected: “Everyone’s said I exploded in 2018 and, honestly, that’s how it feels. “It’s been the best year of my life. If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be talking to you now, I’d have thought you were crazy.” The full interview will be in the new edition of FourFourTwo magazine, on sale on Wednesday