ALEXIS EYES EXIT
Chile striker looks to quit United after nine months
ALEXIS SANCHEZ is pondering a move away from Manchester United less than a year after his mega-money switch from Arsenal.
The Chilean’s agent has been sounding out potential suitors across Europe.
Sanchez, who earns £350,000 a week, is having an indifferent season. His late winner against Newcastle a fortnight ago was his first goal since April.
Jose Mourinho has left Sanchez, 29, out of his starting line-up for more than half United’s games.
The manager has been more impressed by Sanchez’s defensive diligence than his attacking threat.
Sources claim Sanchez’s split from girlfriend Mayte Rodriguez has hit his performances.
United head to Chelsea tomorrow needing a good result after a stumbling start to the season.
Sources believe Mourinho is trying to create a siege mentality before a blockbuster run of fixtures, including the Champions League double-header against former United star Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and the Manchester derby against City on November 11.
LUKE SHAW admitted a new Manchester United contract seemed an impossibility last season — as he became one of the wealthiest defenders in world football.
United moved quickly to tie Shaw down on a five-year deal, with the option of extending that into a sixth season. He signed the contract, worth way in excess of £150,000 a week, at Carrington yesterday. If it is seen out, the deal is thought to be worth up to £50million in total.
It completes a dramatic turnaround for the 23-year-old, whose career at United had appeared doomed after a steady stream of public and private criticism by Jose Mourinho.
Shaw said: ‘If you look at my situation in the last year, you would have thought this would have been impossible.
‘But I worked hard and I wanted to make sure my future was here and to help this club, so I am really happy.
‘It’s been an odd five years for me. There have been ups and downs but now it is all about looking forward.
‘It’s only a matter of time for the success to come back. We have an amazing group of players and the talent we have is scary.’
Shaw has worked tirelessly to prove Mourinho wrong — as illustrated by his fitness regime during the summer.
United’s head of strength and conditioning Gary Walker joined him for work in Dubai and the defender has not looked back, missing only one Premier League game this season.
Mourinho said: ‘ Luke fully deserves this contract. He understood his development process, he has worked really hard at every level and he always believes in himself, which is a great attribute to have. Luke is still young and improving all the time. He must feel very proud of himself.’
Meanwhile, Andreas Pereira confirmed there was a ‘ mood’ around the camp in the wake of Mourinho’s training-ground row with Paul Pogba over an Instagram video last month.
Mourinho was filmed reprimanding Pogba after the midfielder uploaded a boisterous clip alongside Pereira and Shaw during the Carabao Cup defeat by Derby County.
Pogba had attempted to post the video at half -time with United winning, but the WiFi in Old Trafford’s hospitality boxes was not strong enough.
Pereira said: ‘We were winning the game 1- 0 at the time of the video.
‘Then we lost the game and people said that Pogba posted later. But he posted before. The manager thought that Pogba had posted later. He asked him why that happened. There was a mood about it.’