Manchester United announced the signing of Alexis Sanchez on Monday, putting an end to arguably the most topsy-turvy transfer saga of the January transfer window. We look at why the Chilean will thrive under the pressure of bearing the iconic No. 7 shirt and how he will improve the team from a tactical standpoint.
“Now you see me, now you don’t.” It might be what Sanchez could have said to Pep Guardiola, the manager of United’s noisy neighbours, who looked dead set on signing the Chilean forward even before the transfer window opened, only for Sanchez to make a u-turn and sign for the red half of Manchester instead.
It feels like a triumph for Jose Mourinho, stealing his arch-nemesis’ top transfer target from right under his nose while depriving Arsenal of their best player at the same time. Although he lost Henrikh Mkhitaryan to The Gunners, the Armenian going the other way as part of Sanchez’s deal, one could imagine he won’t lose some sleep over a player who was as often brilliant as he was frustrating throughout his spell with United.
In Sanchez, United might have found a player who will not collapse under the pressure of wearing the No. 7 shirt and provides Mourinho the option to address a shortcoming in his squad.
A better No. 7
George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo to name just a few. They are all highly decorated players who had been the catalysts to United’s success over different periods. And what do they have in common? Yes, they all wore No. 7 on their backs at United. That is why there is always an air of expectation which accompanies anyone who decides to take up the number.
Since Ronaldo left in 2009, the list of United’s No. 7 reads: Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Angel Di Maria, and Memphis Depay. Out of them, only Valencia is still at the club while the other three had departed, having scored a meagre 10 league goals during their stay. So, could Sanchez do better than all of them? The short answer would be yes.
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Sanchez is no stranger to pressure, having played for Barcelona before joining Arsenal. He left Barca having won 6 trophies under his belt in 3 years.
The Chilean forward played 54 times and scored 21 goals in his last season, which shows that he was an integral part of the team and only switched clubs under his own volition. Part of this was due to the possibility of taking the centre stage in the Arsenal team.
At Arsenal, Sanchez made 165 appearances, scored 80, and assisted countless others during a 3.5-year span. The records speak for themselves. Sanchez is a high-calibre player who relishes the weight of expectation and stands tall in the face of adversity. One would expect him to go down a path similar to those of Cantona and Ronaldo rather than continue the downward trajectory of United’s No. 7s in recent years.
Right man on the right flank
It is difficult to deny that Mourinho has assembled a fearsome attacking unit at United. A forward line of Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, and Marcus Rashford, supported by Paul Pogba from midfield, provides plenty of firepower and it is the reason why United sit third in the Premier League in terms of goals scored with 49 goals from 24 games. However, there is room for improvement on this part.
Rashford, Mata, and to some extent Lingard and the departed Mkhitaryan have played in the right-wing this season. Meanwhile, none of them have managed to make the position their own. Rashford is much more comfortable on the left, Mata lacks the pace to utilize the space on the flank effectively, while Lingard is better suited for a freer role in the middle.
Although Sanchez is also not a natural right-winger, he has demonstrated that he is more than capable of playing the role. Arsene Wenger said of Sanchez playing in the right-wing:
"“I still believe on the right side he is much more clinical, since he has come back into this position he scores more goals … When he plays on the right, his runs in behind the defenders are better.”"
Playing Sanchez on the right would open up another dimension to Manchster United’s attack. He would add pace, and more importantly purpose to a forward line which still struggles to break down teams who defend deep at times.
Whether running at defenders, providing through balls, or offering an option with his excellent off-the-ball movement, the Chilean poses a threat to the opposing defence with his incisiveness in ways the current players in the Manchester United squad couldn’t.
Next: Jesse Lingard the perfect 10 for Mourinho
Conclusion
It might be too early to expect Alexis Sanchez to propel United to Premier League glory this season, with City having opened up a near-insurmountable lead at the top with 12 points. On the other hand, there should be no questions over his ability to succeed under the pressure of bringing the glory days back to Old Trafford.