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Alexis Sanchez has joined Inter Milan in a loan deal for the rest of the season. The Chilean had joined Manchester United on January 2018, in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mikhitaryan move to Arsenal. Sanchez was handed the coveted No. 7 shirt at Old Trafford and was expected to carry the legacy of the fabled jersey forward.
United were in much need of a proper number 7 ever since Cristiano Ronaldo had left and after a few hits and misses, the Chilean was expected to become the next great to don the shirt.
However, nothing remotely similar happened. Alexis Sanchez's time at Manchester United was akin to a horrible dream, both for the player and the fans.
The club has struggled to find a suitor for the Chilean this summer, so the loan deal looks like the next best thing. Sanchez is still contracted to United until the summer of 2022, though and the loan deal does not include an option to buy at the end of the season.
Even though very few United fans will be sad to see him leave, there is a growing belief that the Red Devils should have held on to the Chilean.
This is because United are alarmingly thin in the forward department; indeed, Sanchez's departure leaves 23-year-old Anthony Martial as Solskjaer's most experienced forward. However, Manchester United's decision to let Alexis Sanchez leave on loan is justified and here are five reasons why.
#5 Age
Sanchez will be 31 years old this December. For a player who is already on the decline, this is an indication that the Chilean might have left his best days behind him.
The attributes that once made his such a feared player on the pitch - his tenacity, his free spirit and his drive, have been absent since his arrival at Old Trafford and will be very hard to recapture now.
At United, Solskjaer has based his tactics on the very essence of speed. The Norwegian wants his team to attack and defend as a unit, and he expects his players to work their socks off on the field.
He has been emphasizing on fitness over the summer and his tactics require players who can provide energy and intensity on the pitch for prolonged periods. Sadly, Sanchez no longer fits the bill. As such, letting him leave on loan certainly is justified.
#4 Monetary factor
Alexis Sanchez arrived at Old Trafford in a swap deal, but there was an inherent cost to the deal that did not go unnoticed.
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City were interested in the Chilean. Sanchez himself was reportedly edging towards the blue half of Manchester, when the Red Devils intervened.
In order to prize him away from the clutches of their arch rivals, United made Alexis Sanchez their highest-paid footballer. It was a move that would soon backfire.
As the Chilean failed to have an impact, his sky-high wages left a bad taste at the club. Sanchez was increasingly becoming a liability at Old Trafford and it was also clear that he was no longer in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans.
However, because of his sky-high wages, offloading him has been a problem so far for the Red Devils. As such, a loan deal does make sense.
The 10-month deal will see United pay a part of the Chilean's wages, and will cost the club around £6m. However, it is still better than paying his entire astronomical weekly wages and letting him watch from the sidelines. In addition, if he performs well on loan, United may even manage to offload him next summer.
#3 Recent injury history
When Sanchez joined Manchester United in January 2018, he was considered to be one of the fittest players in the league. In a space of 3-and-a-half years with Arsenal, the Chilean had missed just 13 games due to injury.
However, after joining United, the Chilean has been prone to injuries, which has hurt his chances at the club. Sanchez picked up a hamstring injury in November last year and was sidelined for just over a month, missing eight games for United in the process.
He returned at the turn of the year, only to be ruled out for 13 days with thigh problems. At the start of March this year, he picked up a knee injury and was out for almost a month and a half, missing another eight games. At the dead end of last season, the Chilean picked up an ankle injury, which saw him sidelined for another month.
Sanchez has missed 20 games due to injuries alone during his one-and-a-half year tenure with Manchester United, which is why letting him leave on loan is the right decision.
#2 Lack of form
When he joined Manchester United, Alexis Sanchez had been on fire for Arsenal. In the 2016/17 season, the Chilean had scored 24 goals and registered 10 assists from 38 appearances in the Premier League.
He had also scored 3 goals and recorded three assists from eight games in the UEFA Champions League. Just before joining United, in the first half of the 2017/18 season, Sanchez had scored seven goals and registered three assists from 19 games.
The Chilean was expected to hit a higher gear after the move to United, much like his predecessor Robin van Persie. However, Sanchez failed to have any impact at Old Trafford and cut a sorry figure on the pitch in the colours of United.
The Chilean scored just three goals in the Premier League since his transfer and has looked an entirely different player. His dribbling has hardly been effective and his performance has waned with each passing game. Having him around for Solskjaer's rebuilding exercise this season, as such, makes very little sense.
#1 Youth promotion
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's attempting to rebuild Manchester United with a backbone of young players who can reign supreme at the club for years.
The Norwegian has already managed to field a very youthful side this season and youth promotion was also one of the reasons why Romelu Lukaku wasn't replaced at United.
Similarly, Sanchez's departure provides an opportunity for someone from the youth ranks to step up. Manchester United currently have Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood as their main strikers, so the Chilean's departure does have a degree of risk associated with it.
However, it is a risk worth taking, as United can introduce another teenager from the youth ranks into the squad, with the hunger and desire that would bond well with Solskjaer's rebuilding.
The trust Manchester United bestowed on Alexis Sanchez was never repaid. As such, putting their faith on youngsters might just work for the Red Devils now.
