Jose says Sanchez will shine
JOSE MOURINHO admits Manchester United are not getting the best out of Alexis Sanchez — but has hit back at criticism of the Chile forward.
Sanchez has disappointed since becoming the highest-paid player in the Premier League, joining from Arsenal in January on a deal worth up to £600,000 a week.
As the 29-year-old prepares to face Liverpool for the first time as a United player this lunchtime, Mourinho said: ‘What is wrong is that he came at the worst moment of the season, that’s why I don’t like the winter market very much.
‘But this was a chance we didn’t want to lose. Next season will be better for him. But he’s learning how to play with us and we are learning how to get the best out of him.
‘He’s happy the team are getting results. He’s a guy with great maturity and attitude and he’s not afraid to take responsibilities.
‘When he makes mistakes, he tries to compensate with fantastic spirit to try to win back the ball.’
Sanchez has scored just once in eight games since moving to Old Trafford, and that was a follow-up after his penalty was saved against Huddersfield last month.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher criticised him for giving the ball away 34 times in Monday’s 3-2 win at Crystal Palace, accusing Sanchez and Paul Pogba of playing like ‘kids in a schoolyard’. Gary Neville also targeted the pair, saying he has ‘never seen a Jose Mourinho team as inefficient as this’.
Mourinho responded yesterday to what he described as ‘the oracles’, and made a veiled reference to Neville’s failed four-month spell as manager of Valencia.
‘Some of the guys with an opinion couldn’t resolve their own problems when they were managers,’ he said. ‘They are giving opinions like they have solutions for everything, but it’s not like that.’
Liverpool can oust United from second place if they win at the home of their old rivals today. Boss Jurgen Klopp insists they are ready to go head-to-head with United and will not flinch when it comes to spending big this summer.
There is a feeling Liverpool are not too far away from being genuine title challengers and, with the right additions in the next window, the progress made over the past two years will be accelerated.
Klopp is looking to strengthen with a goalkeeper, a midfielder and a striker. One name on his wish list is Napoli midfielder Jorginho, the Brazil-born Italy international, who has also been linked with United.
He would command a large fee but Klopp, who had previously expressed misgivings about huge transfer fees, will be ready to spend.
‘I think the transfer fees only jumped in the last year,’ said Klopp. ‘We cannot say the exact numbers but was it £40million for Mo Salah? I would say that’s decent money.
‘This club will do what we have to do; the owners are ready for that but it doesn’t mean we only spend in this (expensive) category.
‘When the player is the right player it is not important how expensive he was. He needs to fit in the team, that’s why we paid the price. If the player is the right player, this club will pay big money and let the group grow.’