Sanchez handed Man United lifeline but faces new role under Solskjaer
Football
By
Mirror
| Jun 14, 2020
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has held talks with Ed Woodward over the future of Alexis Sanchez.
The £400,000-a-week Chilean flop has been a disaster since his swap deal move from Arsenal in January 2018 - scoring just three goals in 32 League games for United.
And his season-long loan move to Inter Milan has been another failure with the 31-year-old striker scoring one goal in his first four games before a dislocated ankle playing for Chile ruled him out for over three months.
Since his return to fitness in January, Sanchez has figured in 11 games under Inter boss Antonio Conte, most of those as a bit-part substitute, without scoring in any.
Apart from paying up the remaining two years of his deal, United have few options on the table for the South American star.
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But with United taking a financial hit like all clubs following the coronavirus pandemic, Woodward is less keen on simply paying off Sanchez.
Solskjaer has carefully rebuilt United's dressing room dynamic after the departure of £73million Romelu Lukaku and Sanchez, on-loan, to Inter Milan.
And he's wary of disturbing that balance – and blocking the pathway of Mason Greenwood and Daniel James – by reintroducing Sanchez to his squad.
Club sources say Sanchez could play a part – if he's willing to accept a squad role rather than a first choice guarantee.
Solskjaer said: “Of course there’s a place for good players and good people in this environment.
“Let’s see where we get to after the season, because we do feel this squad is exciting. We do feel we’re on the way to something.
“It’s up to all the players when they’re here to do well, because there’s always talk of people coming in and out, and it’s about gelling this group together.
Sometimes when you decorate your living room it might be a nice chair or nice sofa but it maybe doesn’t go with the rest of it.
“For us to think about major honours, our focus is about finishing the league this season.
Chris Smalling, Sanchez and Dean Henderson of course have been out, and done themselves favours.
“We have to decide when this season has finished, what the next one will look like.”