Alexis Sanchez’s time at Manchester United has been catastrophic and a failed loan move to Inter Milan has amplified that. Despite being largely unpopular among United fans, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed in an interview earlier that he will “come back in the summer and prove you all wrong”, so what does the future hold for the Chilean forward?
What does the Future Hold for Alexis Sanchez?
Sanchez has had a largely successful career, however more recently he has not performed as well as he used to.
Success at Arsenal
As a previous winner of Arsenal’s Player of the Year award, Sanchez is regarded by many as one of their best players in recent memory. He scored 80 goals and piled up 45 assists in his 166 games for the Gunners – not bad considering he played there during some of Arsenal’s less glorious years near the end of Arsène Wenger’s reign. He helped the Gunners to two FA Cup victories and put in many stellar performances during his time there.
Links to Both Big Manchester Clubs
Sanchez wanted a change of scenery for some time before he got his move. The Chilean winger preferred a move away from Arsenal, partially because he wanted to win more trophies. Manchester City and United, emerged as favourites for the Arsenal wantaway’s signature. City had the advantage of manager Pep Guardiola, someone Sanchez had connected with during his time at Barcelona, and a more positive future. United, on the other hand, had money, a history, and another successful manager in Jose Mourinho. This ended up being what drew him to the red side of Manchester, after a move to City fell through.
Joining Manchester United
Sanchez joined Manchester United in January 2017 as part of a swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan, with the hope that he could continue his Premier League success in Manchester. The Chilean has scored just five times for United, however, and with the club having bought him primarily as a goal scorer, this was disappointing for many. Sanchez is the highest-paid player at Manchester United, despite his lack of influence there. Many United fans want to see him leave the club as his contribution to the team does not warrant such high wages.
Manager’s Recent Comments
Solskjaer spoke recently in an interview about Sanchez’s future at Manchester United. The former United striker said, “Alexis will come back and prove you all wrong”. He also added that they don’t want to “lose their best players”.
While Sanchez’s quality is proven, he has not performed well since joining United. There was speculation that the former Arsenal man would leave the club following the end of his loan at Inter Milan, however, while Solskjaer’s comments may have reassured some who have faith in Sanchez, many United fans are not happy that the club will continue spending an extortionate amount of money on Sanchez’s wages without him providing quality.
It remains to be seen whether Sanchez can revive his Manchester United career, though with a failed loan move in Italy preceding his return to Old Trafford, Sanchez’s future does not currently have the most positive outlook.
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