SANCHEZ JOINS INTER
MAN UTD 2 LASK 1
ALEXIS SANCHEZ will sign for Inter Milan on a permanent basis today after his £500,000-a-week deal at Manchester United was ended by mutual consent.
Sanchez, right, proved to be one of the biggest flops in
United’s history following his January 2018 switch from Arsenal.
The Chile star has been on loan at Inter this season but will take a huge pay cut, receiving less than half of what he was
THIS was a stark reminder of the alarming lack of quality that exists beyond Manchester United’s established line-up.
Having given his main men the night off at the start, with United’s place in the last eight assured thanks to a 5-0 first-leg lead, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer watched the supporting cast toil in their place.
This limp display certainly endorsed Solskjaer’s case to strengthen his squad with four or five signings this summer – including No1 target Jadon Sancho – which is what United need if they are to challenge for the big prizes next season.
It took the introduction of Anthony Martial late on to plunder the winner, with two minutes left, for his 23rd goal of the season.
But players with a point to prove, such as Odion Ighalo, Fred, Scott McTominay, Jesse Lingard and Dan James, all failed to deliver, despite United ultimately edging a hard-earned win.
Of United’s line-up here, only skipper Harry Maguire and Brandon Williams are certain starters for next Monday’s Europa League quarter-final knock-out against Copenhagen in Cologne.
One player who could surely have done with a rest ahead of next week’s mini-tournament in Germany was Maguire, but he led the Reds out on his 59th game of the season.
United conjured the first chance after three minutes, Fred spraying the ball to Juan Mata, whose cross for Ighalo, unmarked just outside the six-yard box, was blocked by Andreas Andrade. LASK defender
Andrade hit the bar with a looping header after 10 minutes, team-mate Philipp Wiesinger dragging the loose ball just wide.
LASK continued to threaten at the other end, Rene Renner crossing just before the half-hour for Marko Raguz, whose glancing header flew just over the bar.
When United did get in behind the LASK defence, they were unable to make it count. A counter-attack in the 38th minute, involving Lingard and James, was thwarted when Wiesinger blocked the latter’s cross.
James should have made it 1-0 to United in the 52nd minute, but was unable to turn in a cross from Williams.
It proved a costly miss, with LASK taking the lead three minutes later, Wiesinger curling a delightful 25-yard shot beyond
the reach of Sergio Romero. To United’s credit, they responded swiftly, Mata putting Lingard through on goal, the latter finding the net for the equaliser, 93 seconds after going behind.
United posed more of an attacking threat with the introduction of Tahith Chong, while Solskajer also brought on record £89million record signing Paul Pogba. But it was fellow sub
Martial who plundered the winner two minutes from time, after some fine interplay with Mata, rolling the ball in for the winner. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Romero 5; Fosu-Mensah 5 (Mengi 84), Bailly 6, Maguire 6, Williams 6 (Chong 72); Fred 5 (Pereira 63, 6) McTominay 5; James 5 (Martial 84), Lingard 6 (Pogba 63, 6), Mata 5; Ighalo 5. Goals: Lingard 57, Martial 87.
LASK (4-3-3): Schlager 6; Renner 7, Andrade 6 (Filipovic 80), Trauner 6, Wiesinger 7 (Sabitzer 73); Michorl 6, Holland 6, Ranftl 6; Frieser 6, Raguz 6, Balic 6 (Reiter 66, 5). Goal: Wiesinger 55.