IT’S a year next week since Alexis Sanchez joined Manchester United, a pretty forgettable year at that. The Chilean has the talent to be the best player in the Premier League, but 2018 was the worst in his distinguished career. Sanchez underwhelmed, underperformed and understood little about what it meant to be a United player. He didn’t communicate with fans or the media and cut a lonely figure, a waste of money who became more peripheral – and deservedly so – under Jose Mourinho. United hoped they’d bought a Cantona- style match winner, instead they signed a dud match which couldn’t light up a game.
All is not lost. Statistics can prove plenty, but Sanchez has created more goalscoring chances than any other player in the league per minute. He’s not played many minutes but he’s still made chances. There’s a very good player in there somewhere.
United’s number seven turned 30 on 19th December, but he’s still got the time and the staggeringly big contract which still has three and a half years to run to turn his fortunes around. He also has Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, a man who rates him highly and sees him as being “hungry” to succeed. He’s always trained well. If there was a criticism of him at Arsenal it was that he wished to train too hard because he had a childlike enthusiasm for always wanting the ball at his feet.
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:
Alexis Sanchez – 2 assists in 2 games
Romelu Lukaku – 3 goals in 3 games.pic.twitter.com/DD7ER6hfna— Man Utd Channel (@ManUtdChannel) January 5, 2019
And he has the talent which made him so coveted in the first place; the man United, City and Barcelona made their number one transfer target in 2011. He chose Barça, United were his second choice and City third. He chose United over City a year ago and said he was thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world but while his signing was celebrated, it slowly fell flat.
Sanchez deserved to be cut some slack, time to settle at a new club which was stumbling along playing terrible football. He also needed a break which he had in the summer – his first for nine years during which time he’s racked up 124 appearances for Chile. The signs looked promising pre-season in America, where he spoke of his focus and determination to do well. Bar one decent game in Los Angeles against AC Milan it hasn't really happened for him. He’s scored only one league goal and suffered an injury which caused him to miss all seven league games in December. By the end of that momentous month in which United changed manager, Sanchez was back in Manchester (having earlier opted to recuperate in Chile) and working hard in the gym. I went to a press conference at Carrington recently which started at eight thirty in the morning. Sanchez was the first and only player in the gym. He can deny having bets on the manager leaving all he likes, but if he’s not producing on the field he’s never going to get the fans onside.
Sanchez’s reputation is at stake now. He was declining at Arsenal before he joined United, scoring half as many goals per game in 17-18 as he had in 16-17 when he scored 24 league goals. “The way Sanchez is playing (this season), I can’t see how it is going to hurt Arsenal,” said Arsenal legend Ian Wright when he departed. He was correct.
Fail under one manager and you can blame the manager. Fail under two or three individuals with very different styles and you become the problem.
Sanchez is back and fit. He played the last 27 minutes in the win at Newcastle in the last league game and set up a goal. He’d also scored the winner against the Geordies in October.
Sanchez should feature at Wembley against Tottenham on Sunday, the venue and team where he had probably his best moment in a United shirt. In the FA Cup semi-final, he rose to head a super equaliser against a team United had performed dreadfully against in London. Ander Herrera got the winner.
Tottenham have won their last three league games at home against United and United haven’t won there in the post-Ferguson era. Spurs also won 3-0 at Old Trafford in August, even though United performed well in the first half.
Sanchez limped off against Reading on Saturday, but the hamstring which has troubled him isn’t a problem. He can play against Spurs. So can Paul Pogba. “We’ve got Sanchez, Paul Pogba and Fred,” sing United fans all the time at the moment to the Stones Roses’ ‘Waterfall’. We’ll forget Fred for the moment, but Sanchez and Pogba should be two of the best players in the world.
Pogba’s form has picked up massively under Solskjaer. His confidence has soared as he’s scored. He’s no longer agitating to move to Barcelona, who can’t afford him.
With the opportunities which come his way, Sanchez can do the same. He’s good enough to stand out against his old club Arsenal in the FA Cup 4th round, good enough to be a match winner against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16. He was bought for these moments, not looking miles better than the rest as he did against Yeovil in the FA Cup 4th round on his debut.
Sanchez had been Arsenal’s top scorer, he should have been like Robin van Persie, a man moving up a level when he joined United. He was versatile and talented enough to play anywhere across the attack, though there was a school of thought when he was at Arsenal that he needed to be the main attacker to be at his best.
Instead he went backwards like the team he played for. But that team is now moving forwards, with five straight wins. Sanchez isn’t at the wheel, but he can become the front wheel on the United bus, someone the team can’t do without.
