‘Sanchez can be a top-class striker’

LONDON:Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger foresees Alexis Sanchez staying in the striking role that brought him a hat-trick in the 5-1 victory over West Ham as long as the Chilean is scoring goals.

Pushed further forward this season, Sanchez has now scored seven goals in his last five Premier League games. His hat-trick against West Ham was the second of his Arsenal career. “Yes, I think he prefers playing as a striker. He likes the position. People like to play as a striker. If it doesn’t work, they prefer their first position. If it comes off, they want to stay there,” said Wenger.

“Alexis has all the ingredients to be a top-class striker and he shows that. He has good movement, he is sharp, he is quick to close down, has a short back-lift and he has a killer instinct. “It shows that the South Americans are the leading strikers in world football at the moment. You have to acknowledge that.” Wenger was delighted with the performance of his team at the London Stadium which maintained their unbeaten record away from home this season. “Overall it was a very strong team performance for 90 minutes today. Our only regret is that we didn’t take our chances in the first half,” said the Frenchman. “That plays on your mind and you could pay for that, but we maintained the pressure on West Ham and finished strongly.