It all went downhill for Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United…
Manchester United shocked the footballing world when they signed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in a swap deal. It was thought to be certain that he would join Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, however, a late swoop saw Jose Mourinho bring him in.
There was a grand revealing for the Chilean, obviously. Videos surfaced on social media of him playing the piano at the Theatre of Dreams in a cathartic manner. Although, a few seasons later, this turned out to be his best performance for Manchester United.
So, where did it all go wrong for Alexis? Playing for Udinese, Barcelona and Arsenal, he was nearing the world-class level. Particularly in the 2016/17 season with the Gunners, when he scored 24 goals and provided 10 assists.
Speaking of his recent Inter Milan move to BBC Sport, Alexis revealed a thing or two about life at Manchester United. He claims that he does not regret moving to Old Trafford since he wanted to join them and win everything. However, he blames his lack of success at the club on his inability to pick up consistent game time, which he implies is not his fault.
“If they would let me play I’ll do my best” – Alexis Sanchez on Manchester United
Leaving a club the size of United always leaves players susceptible to backlash, however, there may be truth in what Alexis is saying. He knows the game well and he knows his own game better than anyone else.
When he was the first name on the team sheet for Arsenal, he was the best player in the Premier League. He would score goals in every match, including the big games (Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and so on).
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However, United were never going to guarantee him playtime. They would have seen how the situation escalated at Arsenal and not wanted the same to happen to them. If Alexis would perform well on a consistent basis, then surely Mourinho/Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would feature him in the starting XI consistently. It’s a two-way thing.
Anyway, now Alexis will return to Serie A. This time though, he will be playing for a bigger club with one aim; to challenge the Juventus dominance. He will join at a good time too since Inter Milan have won their opening two games.
Do you think Inter Milan and Alexis Sanchez have any chance of winning the Scudetto?