The wait is over! Manchester United have finally got their man. The confirmation took a little longer than expected, but it certainly is worth the wait as Alexis Sanchez has now been officially revealed as a Red Devil by the English giants, a deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction i.e. Arsenal. Sanchez’s contract at Emirates was set to expire in summer and the Chilean rejected several extension offers in order to seal a move elsewhere.
He also handed a transfer request in summer but was staying put due to the Gunners’ failure of bringing in Thomas Lemar. Arsene Wenger, however, has reluctantly let his star attacker leave now and Manchester United eventually won the race of signing the Chilean sensation ahead of the neighbours Manchester City.
Sanchez, who netted 30 times last season for the Gunners, was a shadow of his former self this term as he was seeking a new career venture to achieve his European dreams. Manchester United, under Jose Mourinho, has improved immensely and have spent big in the transfer market to compete alongside the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in order to reconquer the league throne.
Although the Red Devils have been thoroughly dominated by their ‘noisy neighbours’ in the league, the arrival of Alexis will be a massive boost in their title aspirations, particularly in the UEFA Champions League, where they have progressed through to the knockouts and are waiting for the Round of 16 tie against Sevilla.
Mourinho, the Portuguese tactician, has often been criticized for his ‘negative football’ with deep defensive strategy and long-ball tactics. United have got a world-class custodian in form of David De Gea and their backline hasn’t disappointed the gaffer either. Mourinho’s tactical masterclass has transformed them into the least-conceding Premier League outfit (alongside Chelsea) so far this season and the influence of Paul Pogba in the middle of the park along with veteran Nemanja Matic has brought back stability in the middle of the park.
But the major concern was misfiring hitman Romelu Lukaku who struggled lately to find the back of the net and the injury of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has left United short of options up front. Marcus Rashford is mostly being used on the wings, so are Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard as the duo have influenced them to clinch crucial victories.
Sanchez is not an out-and-out striker and prefers to operate from the flanks. The Red Devils have already got enough options down the wings but Sanchez will be preferred ahead of them due to his undeniable qualities and sheer brilliance. He is likely to feature in the preferred left-wing role that earned him enormous success with Arsenal and the presence of Alexis will benefit Lukaku more than anyone as he will be provided more goal-bound opportunities to convert.
However, the Chilean might also be used in a ‘number 10’ role and it is more likely due to the blistering form of Anthony Martial down the left-hand flank. Sanchez has played in multiple attacking roles previously and can slot in behind Lukaku and ahead of Pogba to act as a bridge and ease the pressure off both of them. He has won a couple of FA Cup titles during his realm at Arsenal but is now eying greater glory as the 29-year-old will now chase his Premier League as well as Champions league dream that he could not achieve under Arsene Wenger.
This is how the Red Devils will lineup with Sanchez in their squad.
