United boss Mourinho not surprised by immediate Sanchez impact

Yeovil Town vs Manchester United: Manchester United’s Alexis Sanchez in Huish Park, Yeovil, Britain on January 26, 2018./REUTERS

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is not surprised how quickly new signing Alexis Sanchez has adapted to life at the club after an impressive performance on his debut on Friday.

The Chile forward, who joined United from Arsenal earlier in the week, assisted the opening two goals in the 4-0 FA Cup fourth round win at League Two side Yeovil Town.

Yeovil Town vs Manchester United - Huish Park, Yeovil, Britain - January 26, 2018 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho before the match Action Images via Reuters

“I think it’s no surprise for anyone after three years in the Premier League, playing every week, so everyone knows what Alexis is,” Mourinho told the club’s website (www.manutd.com).

“He is the kind of player you buy and you don’t think about adaptation in relation to English football, so it’s no surprise for us,” the Portuguese manager added.

“He is a fantastic player and he showed that for three years and for the past three days when he was training for us, so he’s an amazing addition for us.”

Forward Marcus Rashford and midfielder Ander Herrera both struck either side of halftime, while Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku scored late on to complete the rout.

Sanchez, who last played in Arsenal’s goalless League Cup semi-final first leg draw with Chelsea earlier this month, was taken off after 72 minutes against Yeovil.

“He didn’t play for Arsenal the last two or three games and his training was not good because half of his body was in the Emirates and half in Manchester, so you don’t train well,” Mourinho said.

“I was not sure about 90 minutes, I wanted to play him for 60, 70 or 75 and that was good because people understand his game better and he can understand his team-mates too.”

The 12-times FA Cup champions will discover their fifth round opponents when the draw is made on Monday. They then return to Premier League action at Tottenham Hotspur.