Manchester United: Signing Alexis Sanchez might not have been worth it
Man United’s signing of Alexis Sanchez in January was seen as a fantastic piece of business. Only a handful of players are truly capable of getting fans on their feet with their talent on the pitch.
Alexis Sanchez is one of those rare footballers who can attract fans and be the difference between a title and no title. He was the catalyst for Arsenal since he had joined the club and has led Chile to two major trophies. He is someone that can get fans attention whilst having the efficiency in scoring goals to match it.
Tearing up the Premier League in multiple seasons features highly on Sanchez’s resume. His multiple FA Cup victories, PFA Team of the Year selections, and PFA Player of the Year nominations make up a stunning impact and legacy in England.
It was seen as a massive coup when Manchester United swapped the underperforming Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Sanchez in the January transfer window. It seemed like they had robbed Arsenal of a star player, and not for the first time either. There aren’t many occasions in which you can trade an inconsistent first-team player for a forward that put up 24 goals and 11 assists the season earlier. The arrival of Sanchez might have been at the cost of something United fans are used to seeing, developing youth.
Sanchez’s arrival has stifled the progress of two young stars.
Despite his genuine world-class ability, there is a strong case to be made that signing Alexis Sanchez wasn’t a great decision from Manchester United.
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are two young attackers that have taken centre-stage for the Red Devils in recent seasons. Their match minutes have significantly decreased following Sanchez’s arrival. This is not ideal since both players are at important developmental stages of their careers.
Sanchez operates in the same positions as these two, making it difficult to incorporate all three in the starting XI. It’s difficult to leave Alexis on the bench, as he takes up heavy wages and is known to become unhappy unless given what he wants.
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It comes as no surprise that intense speculation about Rashford and Martial’s futures have started to circulate in recent weeks. The sky is still the limit for both and it seems they aren’t being used to their full potential under Mourinho at the moment.
Rashford is Manchester United born and bred and is likely to stay. On the other hand, Martial seems to be suffering more and his future is far more uncertain.
As for Sanchez, he turns 30 this year and it seems a waste to make two young stars unhappy in order for him to start. Life at Old Trafford hasn’t been fruitful for Sanchez. If he does start to bang in the goals, losing Martial and potentially Rashford may not be worth it for Manchester United in the long-run.