Wayne Rooney has shared his admiration for Jadon Sancho's brief appearance for Aston Villa. Sancho made a move from Manchester United to join Villa on loan for the rest of the season during the summer transfer window.

Villa faced Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday night, where Sancho was given an opportunity to play against his former team from the bench, having spent the previous season on loan at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea had the chance to sign Sancho permanently from United in the summer, with a £25million obligation to buy clause included in the loan deal.

However, the London club chose not to activate the clause and instead paid a penalty fee to United, resulting in Sancho returning to Old Trafford.

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This decision came despite Sancho playing a crucial role in Chelsea's UEFA Conference League victory, even scoring in the final against Real Betis. However, he was not part of the squad that travelled to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Before making a cameo appearance against Chelsea on Saturday night, Sancho had only played 13 games for Villa.

Due to loan rules that prevent players from competing against their parent clubs, the 25-year-old was unable to play against United last week.

Rooney has expressed his admiration for Sancho's performance off the bench for Villa, noting the forward's limited game time this season.

"Jadon Sancho came into this as well, and we haven't seen much of him this season, but I thought he was excellent when he came on," Rooney said on BBC's Match of the Day.

"Getting the ball, driving with the ball and committing the Chelsea defenders and then they had runners, they had Morgan Rogers making runs in behind."

Sancho's future at United remains uncertain, with his contract at Old Trafford due to expire next summer.

United do have the option to extend the deal by an additional 12 months if they choose, potentially allowing them to secure a fee for Sancho in the summer rather than risk losing the ex-Borussia Dortmund star on a free transfer.

Sancho's next chance to shine for Villa will be in their upcoming match against Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, their final game before the New Year.

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