Man United has decided against renewing Alexis Sanchez and Chris Smalling’s loan deals with Inter Milan and Roma, respectively.
Forty-five games, Five goals, Nine assists, and 2781 minutes. These stats are unnerving for a star forward. We are talking about on-loan Manchester United player, Alexis Sanchez.
Jose Mourinho signed Sanchez from Arsenal in the winter transfer window of 2018. He was swapped with Henrikh Mkhitaryan who moved to Emirates when Sanchez moved to Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho was locked with Pep Guardiola in the title race and the Chilean was expected to provide impetus to Manchester United’s title hunt. However, things didn’t go well for the club and the player. Alexis Sanchez ended that season with three goals and five assists across all competitions for Manchester United.
The worst was yet to happen for the Chilean. Despite the player having a good pre-season, he failed to convert it into the English top flight. Along with his depleting form, the fallout of Jose Mourinho with Paul Pogba added to his misery.
Manchester United will not be extending Alexis Sanchez and Chris Smalling's current loan deals with Inter Milan and Roma.
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 24, 2020
Sanchez’s form and market value started to go southwards and Jose Mourinho was sacked in December following Manchester United’s poor run. However, the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a ray of hope for all the forwards as the manager inherited the Manchester United blood in him.
Despite several chances provided to the Chilean forward, he failed to impress the manager. There were calls to sell the player but Ole wanted to keep him in a squad role. Regrettably, the reported spat with Greenwood during training resulted in the temporary transfer of the player to Inter Milan in the summer transfer window of the 2019-20 season.
Even at Inter Milan, Sanchez looked shaky and couldn’t perform to the mark for which Arsene Wenger had broken the bank in 2014. The pandemic came as a redemption time for the player who has garnered the second-highest assists in the top five leagues of Europe.
In the ongoing Serie A season, the 31-year-old has three goals and nine assists in 19 appearances. Following his performances, Inter Milan are trying to sign him permanently but Manchester United are holding for a definite sum for the former Barcelona player.
Does that mean the end for player’s Manchester United stint? Is it the end of the player’s English top-flight journey? The answer should be a big NO.
Manchester United are looking to add a prolific striker to strengthen their squad. With Werner and Haaland moving to Chelsea and BVB respectively, Manchester United are left with no option apart from splashing the cash.
At the time of crisis, OGS can look to Alexis Sanchez as a backup who still has a prolific record in the English Premier League. Under Arsene Wenger, Alexis Sanchez featured 166 times for Gunners. In those 166 appearances, Sanchez has 80 goals and 45 assists to his name, across all competitions. He also has two FA Cups to his name during his stint at Arsenal.
Why the sudden Sanchez decline?
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Despite having such a prolific record, what was the reason behind his fall? At Emirates, Sanchez had a world-class playmaker Mesut Ozil, who used to provide the incisive passes and accurate crosses to the player.
Also, he was played in his position which helped him to cut-back in and score goals. But at Old Trafford, the absence of creative playmakers and Jose Mourinho’s “park the bus” style affected the player’s performance.
However, things have changed at Old Trafford with the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Bruno Fernandes. The Norweigan manager has got his signings on point and has added the young blood to the lineup.
On the other hand, Bruno Fernandes has been a revelation for Manchester United. Since his arrival in England, the player has lost only one game and is unbeaten in the top-tier.
The player has seven goals and seven assists to his name in 13 Premier League games. The player has created 55 shot-creating chances and 11 goal-creating chances in 13 PL games for the Red Devils. Players like Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Mason Greenwood have all benefitted from the player’s arrival and are enjoying the great run.
Can Bruno be a catalyst in Alexis’ revival? Can he turn Sanchez back to a world-beater again at Old Trafford? If Sanchez return’s to Old Trafford without a transfer, can he turn Manchester United into a potential title contender?