A post-defeat 2-0 defeat to PSG in the champions league round of 16, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacted to Alexis Sanchez poor performance. "I can't do anything about Alexis Sanchez," Solskjaer said. "When he plays he needs to find himself because we know there's a quality player there." The comments give hints of lost trust towards the Chilean international.
When Sanchez arrived at Old Trafford, he was given the famous No.7 jersey which been donned by the likes of Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Sanchez has not been able to carry responsibility wisely. And it is not about his ability as a player but the size of his wages that has become the talking point on the Manchester streets.
The 30-year-old has not played a full game since Manchester United face Leicester City on the opening day of the season. He is now better known for the huge salary, which makes him one of the highest-paid players at Old Trafford, than for his ability on the pitch.
While other players like Martial, Rashford, and Pogba have surged in form and confidence under Solskjaer, Sanchez has been a lost cause and after more than a year after he signed from Arsenal, he has still to find his feet at the Theatre of Dreams.
Injuries have played their part and limited Sanchez to less than 1000 minutes this season, but he is being judged over a longer period rather than his performance in this season. Evidence shows that he has found the net just five times in 35 games.
The Chilean international has a contract until 2022 when he will be 33, he has time to come back to form. However, it is questionable to think that he will stay for another four years if he continues to underperform at the club.
Against Leicester on February 3, Sanchez made his first league start under United’s interim manager but barely made an impact and was replaced after 67 minutes by Anthony Martial. Sanchez against the Foxes struggled to keep the ball and looked frustrated throughout. His wages are, in part, because he benefited from situations when he moved to Manchester in January 2018.
He was a versatile player who has starred in La Liga, Serie A and Premier League. Moreover, with Manchester United’s noisy neighbour’s (Man City) interest meant an auction involving two of the world’s richest clubs, while Arsenal was under no pressure to sell Sanchez.
Interestingly, with Sanchez at Old Trafford, United had killed two birds with one bullet: they bought a top player and prevented City from getting one.
There was no opposition to his arrival at United. The images of him playing ‘Glory Glory Man United’ on the piano went viral and after this fans waited for him to take their beloved club back to the top.
It did not happen, though. There have been moments of brilliance -- his finish from a tight angle at Arsenal-- but what lacks is consistency. He has trained hard, tried hard and earned praise for his attitude from the Norwegian manager.
He is fast and is known for his work ethics. Sanchez always tries to produce a pass and always tries to impress. He also has fans backing but falls into the category of South American players who for some reason failed to do much at United. Juan Sebastián Verón, Angel Di Maria, Diego Forlan and Radamel Falcao were all fantastic footballers who tried hard but failed to settle down into United’s system and eventually had to find solace elsewhere. However, it is too early to write Sanchez off and United have so far shown no intention of selling him as they hope Sanchez will come back stronger.
The main issue is his position. During his time at Barcelona, Guardiola had given him a simple job: stretch the game and get the ball to Lionel Messi. In order to achieve this, he took risks and beat players but his game has changed since his departure from Camp Nou. For United, has played on the right and left and as a central and secondary striker.
With Solskjaer as the manager, Sanchez has better chances of regaining his lost form and confidence as unlike Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer encourages his players to be attack-minded and less fearful.
Given his talent, status and earnings, Sanchez should be the main man, not a peripheral figure. He was bought to shine as bright as a star and if he starts performing people will stop talking about his money.
Video: Fans reaction after PSG won the match
