Alexis Sanchez came to Old Trafford this year after a swap deal United made with the Gunners. His arrival created a new expectation among United fans who have not seen a change in their club’s fortunes since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. He could become a match-winner for United since the Chilean star had already made a name for himself at World’s two best clubs and represented his country on several occasions. Contrary to expectations, Sanchez has not shone for Manchester United since his arrival in January.
One could argue that Sanchez needs time to adjust at his new club and acclimatize himself to Jose Mourinho’s different style of football. Still, he should have been able to give some decent performances by now since he has been featuring in the team since January. Especially in this season, he should have pulled off some noteworthy performances, because he had the summer off for the first time in half a decade.
So far, he has failed to be the success figure at Manchester United. Some point out that Sanchez’s current position is to blame for his bad performances. According to them, he has not been able to play at his best as a winger in Mourinho’s current system because his favorite is the centre-forward position. If this is true, then the Portuguese gaffer could play him as a second striker if the Portuguese manager is willing to experiment.
Although, the Chilean looked wonderful in United’s pre-season tour to America. Seeing him perform made everyone believe that he had got his form again. However, he failed to carry his good form into the Premier League that has seen six matches played by United now.
Unfortunately, Sanchez has yet to score a single goal for the Red Devils since the beginning of the season. He has not contributed much for United except providing the set-up for Lukaku’s first goal against Burnley. Right now, he is far from the match-winner figure that United fans expected when he came to Old Trafford.
Looking at his overall performance, he has scored just 3 times and provided 6 assists for Manchester United. Such figures are dismal compared to how he performed at Arsenal. At Emirates, he scored 80 goals after making 166 appearances for the Gunners. Sometimes, he even steered his team towards victory single-handedly. To say that he is only a shadow of his former self at Manchester now would not be wrong.
Mourinho is regularly featuring Sanchez now, however, that situation could change seeing the intense level of competition at the club. Therefore, it is very important that Sanchez start giving some good performances by now.