Borussia Dortmund's Lucien Favre: Jadon Sancho Still Has 'a Lot to Learn'

Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho still has "a lot to learn" and must match his talent with hard work, according to manager Lucien Favre.

The 18-year-old has starred for the Bundesliga side this season, but the team's form has dipped in recent weeks and Favre says his players need to apply themselves, per Stephan Uersfeld at ESPN FC.

"Jadon is very talented, but also only 18 years old," he said. "At that age, you go through a lot of ups and downs. He has a lot of potential, but also still a lot to learn. They [the young Dortmund players] all have talent but, without work, talent does not exist. It's 10 per cent talent and 90 per cent work."

Sancho has scored nine goals and contributed 11 goals for Dortmund this season, and he was named the Bundesliga player of the month for October:

His form also saw him called up to the senior England squad, and he made his full debut against the United States in a friendly in November.

Sancho's impressive impact at Dortmund has also seen him linked with a move to some of Europe's top clubs.

Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are both keen on the winger who could cost £100 million, according to James Ducker at the Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile, Dortmund have seen a nine-point lead at the top of the table wiped out after a poor run of results, including a 2-1 defeat to Augsburg on Friday.

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Former Dortmund midfielder Matthias Sammer was critical of Dortmund's immaturity after the damaging loss at the SGL Arena, per Eurosport (h/t Goal's Chris Burton).

He said: "This is Borussia Dortmund, where people think: 'We are already the German champion.' But they are immature. You could see it for some time now."

Dortmund are also on the brink of an exit from the UEFA Champions League. They host Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of their last 16 tie on Tuesday but are 3-0 down from the first leg.

Sancho offered a glimpse of his talents in the defeat at Wembley Stadium:

Dortmund and Favre will need Sancho to recapture his best form if they are to complete a remarkable turnaround against Spurs, and he is expected to start the match at Signal Iduna Park.

Sancho has already shown this season just what an exciting prospect he is, and Favre's comments show he's keen to ensure the youngster lives up to his full potential.