Sanchez takes aim after Utd deal done
ALEXIS Sanchez has completed his move to Manchester United from Arsenal, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading the other way in one of the most high-profile swap moves of all time.
The finishing touches to the deal were made on Monday and an announcement that the two 29-year-olds had traded places was made at 6pm.
United’s new number seven Sanchez, who missed Arsenal’s win over Crystal Palace on Saturday while negotiations over a switch continued, posted a departing message on Instagram where he took aim at ex-Arsenal players critical of him.
Though his socialmedia post did not reference anyone directly, Sanchez wrote: “There are people (former club players) who have spoken with no knowledge of what happens inside the club and cause damage.
“I must say I always gave 100%, until the last day, when I asked to the Mister (Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger) to be in the team, because I wanted to be a contribution.”
Martin Keown, a former Gunners defender, had called Sanchez “the biggest mercenary in football”, with reports suggesting the Chilean forward will earn £500,000 a week at Old Trafford.
Arsenal wanted £35million for a player out of contract in the summer and United’s willingness to meet Sanchez’s wage demands and use a makeweight in Mkhitaryan, who is valued at the Gunners’ asking price, allowed the straight swap.
“Since I was a young lad I’ve always said that my dream was to play for Manchester United, and I’m not just saying that because I’m here now and today it’s come true,” Sanchez told MUTV. SWANSEA produced one of the shock results of the season as Virgil van Dijk’s Premier League debut for Liverpool turned into a nightmare.
Alfie Mawson struck the 40th-minute winner for the Premier League’s bottom club, pouncing on a poor Van Dijk clearance from a corner that Liverpool’s £75 million record signing possibly should not have conceded.
Liverpool came into this contest without a defeat in 18 games and on a high after ending the unbeaten record of league leaders Manchester City.
But as so often is the way with the Merseyside club they failed to take advantage of the momentum that result appeared to have built.
Klopp said: “Last weekend is not what I’m interested in.
“We are frustrated. I’m frus- trated, I’m angry, because it’s not necessary what we did today. But we cannot get the points back. It should feel really bad and it feels bad.
“We didn’t keep the positions we wanted to be in. We wanted to do it differently, obviously it didn’t happen on the pitch.”
It was a frustrating night for Liverpool and they should have rescued a point in stoppage time when Roberto Firmino’s header, from a Van Dijk cross, hit a post.
Jurgen Klopp’s side dominated throughout, but their usual invention and spark were badly missing, with 24-goal man Mohamed Salah suffering a rare off-night.
Klopp added: “The clearest chance we have in the last second, I don’t know how that didn’t go in.
“That wouldn’t have made the game any better to be hon- est. At the end it was not good enough.”
Swansea remain bottom of the league – albeit on goal difference from West Brom – but it is now only one defeat in six games under new manager Carlos Carvalhal.
The Portuguese has instilled a sense of belief that his side can avoid relegation, ever since Swansea suffered a 5-0 humiliation at Liverpool on Boxing Day.