Struggles of Sanchez will be concern for United
▶ Chilean attacker is struggling to make an impact since January move
When Alexis Sanchez made his move from Arsenal to Manchester United he immediately went out of his way to endear himself to his new club’s supporters.
A video of the Chilean sitting down at a piano to play Glory, Glory Man United went viral and proved an early talking point of his tenure at Old Trafford following his £30,000,000 (Dh110.1m) move in the January transfer window.
It would not be unfair to say that the song has proved to be a false dawn for Sanchez’s time at United so far as the glory moments have been few and far between.
Saturday was another underwhelming day for Sanchez in an United shirt. He was substituted after 63 minutes of his side’s 1-1 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers and it continues the narrative of this season.
He started because he did not play in the Uefa Champions League win at Young Boys on Wednesday.
Anthony Martial did and the Frenchman’s performance improved as the game went on and he was rewarded with a goal.
The Frenchman rightly hoped to start against Wolves, but Sanchez was fortunate to get selected, as he had been in the two previous games which saw victories at Burnley and Watford.
Rightly or wrongly, the best-paid players at football clubs tend to start whether they are playing well or not, but as in his two previous games, Sanchez was substituted.
Given he had not played midweek, tiredness cannot be the cause and Jose Mourinho did not look happy with his player before bringing him off.
Sanchez tried – almost too hard. There was an early neat interchange with Antonio Valencia as the Chilean moved across the pitch, but it is still not coming off for him at United.
Sanchez played on the left with Romelu Lukaku ahead to his right, but they struggled to click. He has speed, skill and close control. He runs at players
Sanchez has scored only three times in 23 games since joining. It is not just his lack of goal threat, he looks low on confidence
and gets more attention than most from those trying to stop him, but he loses possession too often.
He did persist on Saturday. He had the confidence to take a 44th minute free-kick on the edge of the area, only to sky the ball towards the nearby cricket club rather than the box where his teammates were waiting.
It was much the same in the second half as he was substituted just after the hour mark in favour of Martial.
He has scored only three times in 23 games since joining United, the most recent in April’s FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
In the league, he has gone 831 minutes without a goal, with his last one coming in March against Swansea City.
Sanchez scored 15, 11 and 21 goals during his three seasons in Barcelona. He scored 25, 17 and 30 in the same period at Arsenal and had managed a further eight by the time he departed the London side in January.
The goals have well and truly dried up at United and it has to be a concern for Mourinho. It is not just his lack of threat in front goal. He looks low on confidence and has been ineffective so far.
The bright points have been minimal. Since his debut at Yeovil Town in the FA Cup it has largely been forgettable fare. An impressive display in United’s comeback win at Manchester City in April, and that goal against Tottenham in the FA Cup are about it on the highlights reel.
United are already eight points adrift of Liverpool, and six behind Manchester City. Hopes of a first title since 2013 are already beginning to look slim for Mourinho’s men.
After a rough start to the campaign they had begun to build momentum before they earned only one points against Wolves.
But, if United are to remain a factor in the top four they need more from Sanchez then what he is currently offering.
Given his current form, how long Mourinho stays patient with him, given the encouraging displays of Martial, will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.