Brilliant football pullout
Chile superstar has failed to recapture Arsenal form for Jose and now faces spell on bench
JOSE MOURINHO did not stick around long enough after Manchester United’s latest setback to address the thorny issue of Alexis Sanchez.
Had he done so, it is likely the straight-talking Mourinho (above) would have pulled no punches in his assessment of the expensively-acquired forward’s latest dismal display.
Signed amid great fanfare and hype, having ostensibly been snatched from under the noses of local rivals Manchester City, Sanchez has been nothing short of a let-down since his arrival.
On wages of around £400,000 a week, United fans are entitled to expect more from Sanchez, who has fallen well short of the imperious standards he set at Arsenal and Barcelona.
The Chile star has not scored for nine games – his goal drought now stands at more than 12 hours, has provided one solitary assist this season, and was hooked after just 63 minutes.
Sanchez has displaced Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial from United’s side, both having been stripped of the confidence they oozed prior to the forward’s much-heralded arrival.
And for what? To put one over on Pep Guardiola’s men? Given Sanchez’s wretched form since he swapped Arsenal for United, the Blues must feel they dodged a bullet by deciding to end their interest in him.
Aside from isolated impressive displays in United’s epic 3-2 comeback win at City last season and their 2-1 FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham at Wembley, Sanchez has been a passenger, one who has added nothing to the journey.
Paul Pogba, United’s clubrecord £89million signing, frustrated just like Sanchez, producing an exquisite assist for his side’s opener, then losing the ball cheaply in the build-up to the equaliser.
Pogba claimed Sanchez still needs time to adapt to United although, after nine months and a full summer off for the first time in seven years, the 29-year-old should by now be producing his best. “What you have to know about Alexis is he is a hard worker,” said Pogba. “He trains very well, he always tries to help the team, talks with the team. He will get used to it.
“When you play a long time with another team, and you play different football in that other team, you have some kind of adaptation that you have to have. It’s not that he’s playing badly.
“We know Alexis can bring a lot and I’m sure he will. But he’s not playing badly and keeps being positive, so that’s the good thing we have to think about.”
How much longer Mourinho is prepared to wait for Sanchez to deliver is open to question. He is almost certain to miss tomorrow’s EFL Cup tie against Derby at Old Trafford.
But Mourinho faces a big call over whether to drop Sanchez for next Saturday’s lunchtime visit to West Ham, with the likely scenario seeing United’s highest-paid player benched.
The Red Devils boss has not been afraid to make bold calls, dropping Pogba for a run of games last season when the midfielder fell below the standard expected of him.
Sanchez is no exception,
despite his lofty reputation. Rashford will be available after serving a three-match domestic ban, while Martial and Juan Mata give Mourinho other options.
United took a firsthalf lead through Fred, who applied a clinical finish to Pogba’s deft touch to plunder his first goal for the Reds, one which looked set to yield a win for Mourinho’s men.
But Wolves, who played with confidence and verve throughout, fully deserved their equaliser, a sublime sweeping finish from man-of-the-match Joao Moutinho.
While Wolves continue to flourish on their return to the Premier League, United remain mired in inconsistency and muddled thinking.
They are eight points off top spot, with a goal difference of zero and surely already out of the title race, even before the leaves have fallen from the trees.