Wenger: There was no bust-up with Sanchez

Arsene Wenger claimed reports of a bust-up between Alexis Sanchez and his teammates were “completely false” as he again defended the decision to drop him against Liverpool.

The Chile forward was surprisingly named as a substitute for Saturday’s 3-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield.

Several newspapers claimed he was left out due to an incident with his teammates before the match and he was said to have walked out in the middle of a training session last week after an argument.

Sanchez has cut an increasingly frustrated figure in recent games as Arsenal’s trophy hopes have taken a hit.

The loss to Liverpool followed on from previous league defeats against Watford and Chelsea, while the Gunners face Bayern Munich in the second-leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie tonight having lost 5-1 in Germany last month.

Wenger claimed after the game on Saturday that Sanchez, who came on to provide the assist for Danny Welbeck’s consolation strike, had been left out for tactical reasons.

The 28-year-old trained with the squad as normal on the eve of the Bayern clash and shook hands with Wenger as he made his way onto the club’s London Colney training pitch.

And, speaking to the media after the training session, Wenger insisted there are no issues with Sanchez - even if some of his behaviour can be “excessive” at times.

“I am not aware, nothing at all,” he said. “I explained after the game I decided to go for a more direct option, that was the unique reason for my decision.”

Asked directly if the reports were true, Wenger said: “Completely false. I understand you have to fill newspapers.

“All the rest, his attitude he’s a committed player and sometimes has excessive behaviours but you have that many times in the history of every squad.

“It’s about the team performance, not individuals. It’s a team sport and the most important thing is that we focus on our collective. Our game is built on collective expression.

“That is the most important thing, that we focus on what’s important and not the individual. The important thing is to produce as a team.”