Manchester United: Alexis Sanchez must prove his worth against Chelsea on Saturday
By Ali Akbar
Alexis Sanchez has been disappointing since joining Manchester United from Arsenal back in January. Although he did score the winner against Newcastle United, he must show that he has the quality to affect the big games as well.
It seems harsh to criticise a player coming off the back of scoring a late winner but that is exactly what I’m about to do.
When Sanchez scored in the 90th minute against Newcastle United to make it 3-2 I was happy for him. But then this happiness quickly turned into frustration, as I thought: why doesn’t he do this for Manchester United more often?
Indeed, since joining the club from Arsenal back in January, Sanchez has been extremely underwhelming. He has only scored 4 goals in his 25 games for United in all competitions – a poor return given his reputation in London and Barcelona before that.
During his time at Arsenal, the Chile international scored 60 goals in 122 appearances in the Premier League, making him one of the very best players in England at the time.
The Sanchez we have inherited looks like a shadow of his former self. A few goals against lowly opposition here and there don’t change anything. The 29-year-old should be in his prime right about now, and to prove it, he needs to be scoring week in and week out as well as against the bigger teams.
The away fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge will be an incredibly tough game for sure. Newly-appointed manager Maurizio Sarri has implemented his attacking DNA with Chelsea already and they are currently undefeated in the Premier League.
Sarri will be looking to make a statement by beating former-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s side. Although it seems like an impossible task, why do we pay these players so much in the first place? To scrape wins against the likes of Watford and Newcastle?
No. Alexis Sanchez must step up and justify his extortionate wages, which are rumoured to be as high as half a million pounds a week. This figure would make him the highest-paid player in the whole of the Premier League.
Has he been playing like it? Not yet anyway. But come Saturday, all eyes will be on Sanchez to deliver for Manchester United. Should he grab a crucial goal or assist against the Blues, this could be the start of Sanchez’s resurgence in the Premier League. Let’s hope he turns things around.
Next. Co-site expert Ali Akbar says that losing to Chelsea on Saturday could cost Jose Mourinho his job. READ NOW!. dark
Catch Chelsea vs Manchester United on Saturday 20 October at 12:30 BST.