Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere stated that Alexis Sanchez should never have left Arsenal for Manchester United in January 2018, revealing that the Chilean forward immediately questioned his decision after his first training session at Carrington, according to media reports.
Alexis Sanchez Wanted Out After First Manchester United Training Session
Alexis Sanchez completed a high-profile move to Old Trafford in January 2018 in a swap deal that sent Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the opposite direction. Nearly four years after arriving in north London as a core player for Arsenal, the Chile international struggled to replicate his previous productivity in Manchester. Reflecting on the transfer years later, Sanchez admitted that he knew something was wrong right away. After finishing his first training session with his new club, he returned home and asked his family and agent if they could rip up the contract and let him return to Arsenal.
Jack Wilshere Questions Tactical Freedom Under Jose Mourinho
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Wilshere analyzed why the partnership failed to click. Wilshere noted that Sanchez required a specific type of tactical latitude that he enjoyed under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, where teammates permitted him to take risks and attempt difficult passes to win matches single-handedly. Wilshere questioned whether then-manager Jose Mourinho granted Sanchez that same level of freedom, suggesting that a player of his profile struggled to adapt to Mourinho’s strict structural demands.
Declining Playing Time and Strained Relationship With Jose Mourinho
As his performances dipped, Sanchez fell out of favor under Mourinho during the 2018/19 season. A month into the campaign, Mourinho omitted the forward entirely from the matchday squad to face West Ham United. Sanchez later described that exclusion as an unprecedented professional shock, noting that he went from being regarded as one of the top players in the Premier League to finding himself completely out of the picture. Across two seasons with Manchester United, Sanchez made 45 appearances and scored just 5 goals before heading to Inter Milan on loan for the 2019/20 season, ahead of a permanent transfer the following year.
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