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Sanchez in the United spotlight as injuries floor Lingard, Martial
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In over a year at Manchester United, Chile forward Alexis Sanchez hasn’t even got close to the form he showed at Arsenal, where he was one of the English Premier League’s most respected forwards.
However, injuries to Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard mean a contribution from Sanchez, who has been on the fringes for most of the season under both Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is now badly needed.
The extent of the muscle injuries to the two wide forwards, suffered in Tuesday’s 0-2 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, isn’t yet known but United has two crucial games coming up in the next 11 days.
On Monday, it takes on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the fifth round of the FA Cup and then on February 24 it hosts Liverpool in the EPL.
The injury to Lingard meant that Sanchez came on just before halftime against PSG. The Chilean’s performance provided scant confidence that he will be an effective replacement in those two fixtures.
“He’s hardly touched the ball in the second half. He’s definitely short of confidence. He’s not the Sanchez we fell in love with at Arsenal,” former United defender Phil Neville told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“He looks like someone who needs 10-15 games without coming off. I’m bereft of any excuse as to why his form has dipped. When you’re looking at subs to come on and make an impact, he’s probably not the one.”
When Solskjaer was asked what he could do to get Sanchez firing on all cylinders again, the Norwegian made it clear it was down to the player.
“I can’t do anything about Alexis Sanchez. When he plays he needs to find himself because we know there is a quality player there,” the caretaker manager said.
Sanchez, who has scored just three league goals for United, often slowed play down and was unable to produce the tricky and pacy runs that characterized his play at Arsenal, where he scored 60 goals in 122 EPL appearances.
Solskjaer made no attempt to disguise the fact that United looked far less effective with Sanchez and Juan Mata on for Lingard and Martial.
“That’s the reality, that Jesse and Anthony have been big parts of our squad and second half we didn’t have the pace and movement to get in behind them,” he added.
Whether Solskjaer or somebody else is put in permanent charge, there is expected to be movement on the playing staff and the 30-year-old, reported to be earning 1.4 million pounds (US$1.81 million) a month, would surely be top of the exit list.
A move is unlikely to be something that Sanchez would oppose. He has not enjoyed life in the northwest of England and in November, The Times reported that the break up of his relationship with Chilean actress Mayte Rodriguez “deeply affected” him and left him feeling “lonely, bored and ignored.”
A fresh start may be what he needs to save his career and Tuesday signalled that there is life after Old Trafford.
Argentine Angel Di Maria had a disappointing spell at the club and was reminded of that when he was booed by United fans — but he showed his quality over the 90 minutes setting up both PSG goals.
And the result was also a reality check for Solskjaer and it wasn’t even handed out by a full-strength PSG.
The 2-0 victory — consigning Solskjaer to the first loss 12 games under his caretaker command — was produced by PSG without two of the French club’s fearsome forwards.
Neymar was already ruled out with a broken foot when Edinson Cavani hurt his left thigh at the weekend to join the world’s most expensive player on PSG’s injury list.
“They were a level above us,” Solskjaer said after the first leg of the last-16 contest which saw United’s record-signing Paul Pogba sent off.
Old Trafford instead became a stage for Kylian Mbappe to shine in tandem with Di Maria.
By the time Di Maria responded to the torrent of abuse by picking up a bottle of beer hurled at him and taking a sip, PSG was already leading thanks to academy graduate Presnel Kimpembe’s first PSG goal in the 53rd minute.
Di Maria, who struggled in his only season at United before being offloaded to PSG in 2015, sent in the corner that Kimpembe raced into the penalty area unchecked to meet with a volley.
The second goal, on the hour, was the result of an electric counterattack. As Di Maria sent in a cross, Mbappe darted between center backs Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof and clipped the ball under goalkeeper David de Gea for his 23rd goal of the season.
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