Morgan Sanson
Morgan Stéphane Sanson (born 18 August 1994) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nice, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa.
.jpg.webp) Sanson with France U19 in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Morgan Stéphane Sanson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 18 August 1994[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Saint-Doulchard, France | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Nice (on loan from Aston Villa) | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2005 | Gazélec Bourges | ||
| 2005–2009 | Bourges | ||
| 2009–2012 | Le Mans | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012 | Le Mans II | 10 | (7) |
| 2012–2013 | Le Mans | 27 | (3) |
| 2013–2017 | Montpellier | 98 | (13) |
| 2017–2021 | Marseille | 122 | (22) |
| 2021– | Aston Villa | 21 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Strasbourg (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2023– | → Nice (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2012–2013 | France U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2013–2016 | France U21 | 11 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:34, 26 October 2023 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Sanson was born in Saint-Doulchard, Cher.[4]
Club career
Le Mans
Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Sanson was promoted to the senior team by manager Denis Zanko and assigned the number 25 shirt. He made his professional debut on 3 August 2012 in a league match against Dijon, replacing Idrissa Sylla with only ten minutes to play.[5] He scored his first league goal on 22 December 2012 against Monaco in a 2–3 home loss.
Montpellier
On 12 June 2013, Sanson signed a four-year contract with Montpellier for a reported fee of €700,000.[6][7] He made his debut for the club on 14 September 2013, in a 0–0 draw against Stade de Reims.[8]
Marseille
On 17 January 2017, Sanson joined south coast rivals Marseille by signing a four-and-a-half-year contract, for an initial fee estimated to be €9 million, plus €3 million in bonuses.[9][10] On 5 March 2017, he scored a goal in the 56th minute in a 4–1 Ligue 1 away win against Lorient - his first Ligue 1 goal for Marseille.[11]
On 3 May 2018, he played in the Europa League semi-finals away to FC Red Bull Salzburg as Marseille played out a 1–2 away loss but a 3–2 aggregate win to secure a place in the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final[12] which was played at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais,[13] and saw his team lose to Atlético Madrid.[14]
Aston Villa
On 26 January 2021, Sanson signed for English Premier League side Aston Villa on a 4+1⁄2-year contract,[15] for a fee believed to be £14 million, with £1.5 million in add-ons.[16] On 3 February 2021, Sanson made his Aston Villa debut as a late substitute in a 3–1 defeat to West Ham at Villa Park.[17] On 4 April 2021, Sanson suffered a knee injury midway through the second half in a 3–1 victory over Fulham which ended his season prematurely.[18]
On 31 August 2021, Sanson made his return from injury as one of the permitted overage players for Aston Villa U21s, in a 3–1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Trophy.[19] On 22 September 2021, Sanson returned to the first team in an EFL Cup tie against Chelsea – but he was forced to leave the field before half time after a recurrence of his injury.[20] The arrival of Steven Gerrard as Aston Villa manager coincided with Sanson regaining fitness and he started in the Premier League for the first time in 8 months on 26 December 2021. Gerrard described how Sanson had been disappointed with the start to his English football career, but he had assured him that he was aware of his talent, despite Sanson's fleeting appearances up until that point.[21]
In newly appointed manager Unai Emery's first match for Villa, on 6 November 2022, Sanson made his first appearance of the 2022–23 campaign, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute as Villa defeated Manchester United 3–1.[22] On 8 January 2023, Sanson scored his first goal for Aston Villa in a 2–1 defeat to lower league Stevenage in the FA Cup.[23]
Strasbourg loan
On 23 January 2023, Sanson joined Strasbourg on loan until the end of the current season.[24][25]
International career
Sanson is a France youth international having represented his nation at under-19 and under-21 level.[27]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Le Mans | 2012–13 | Ligue 2 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 3 | ||
| Montpellier | 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 6 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 3 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 98 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 106 | 13 | ||||
| Marseille | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17[lower-alpha 3] | 2 | — | 53 | 12 | |||
| 2018–19 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 37 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 5 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 12 | 2 | — | — | 6[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 122 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 157 | 25 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2020–21 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||||
| Strasbourg (loan) | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||||
| Nice (loan) | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 295 | 39 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 342 | 43 | ||
- Includes Coupe de France, FA Cup
- Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Trophée des Champions
References
- "Updated squad lists for 2020/21 Premier League". Premier League. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- "Morgan Sanson: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- "Morgan Sanson: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- "Morgan Sanson". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- "Le Mans v. Dijon Match Report". Ligue de Football Professionnel (in French). 3 August 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- "Morgan Sanson s'engage avec le MHSC" (in French). Montpellier HSC. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- "Marseille seal transfer of Montpellier midfielder Morgan Sanson". ESPN FC. 17 January 2017.
- "Montpellier 0-0 Stade de Reims" (in French). 14 September 2013.
- "Morgan Sanson to Marseille, done deal". Get French Football News. 17 January 2017.
- "Morgan Sanson (Montpellier) signe à l'OM (Officiel)" (in French). L'Équipe. 17 January 2017.
- "Marseille sweep past Lorient". www.ligue1.com. 5 March 2017.
- "FC Red Bull Salzburg 2–1 Marseille". BBC Sport. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- "Lyon to host 2018 UEFA Europa League Final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- "Marseille 0-3 Atlético Madrid: 2018 Europa League final – as it happened". The Guardian. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- "Villa announce Sanson signing". Aston Villa. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- "Aston Villa transfer news: Morgan Sanson joins from Marseille in £14m deal". Sky Sports News. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- Maher, Matt (3 February 2021). "Aston Villa 1 West Ham 3 - Report". Express & Star. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- Cusack, Richard (18 May 2021). "Aston Villa player Morgan Sanson confirms season-ending injury". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- "Papa John's Trophy (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- Preece, Ashley (22 September 2021). "Aston Villa suffer major injury blow in Chelsea game". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- Townley, John (1 January 2022). "Steven Gerrard hands Morgan Sanson 'fresh start' after heart-to-heart". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- "Aston Villa player ratings vs Man United as Bailey and Watkins shine". 6 November 2022.
- Poole, Harry (8 January 2023). "Stevenage beat Villa with dramatic late comeback". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- "Morgan Sanson departs on loan". 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- "MORGAN SANSON PRÊTÉ AU RACING" (in French). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- "Morgan Sanson departs on loan". Aston Villa Football Club. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- "Les joueurs appelés en sélection". Le Mans FC (in French). 4 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- "Morgan Sanson". Ligue 1. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- Morgan Sanson at Soccerway
- "Final: Marseille 0–3 Atlético: Overview". UEFA. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
External links
- Profile at the Aston Villa F.C. website
- Morgan Sanson at the French Football Federation (in French)
- Morgan Sanson at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)