Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated that he cannot do any more than what he is currently doing with Alexis Sanchez, after the Chilean put out another disastrous performance as Manchester United lost against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 encounter in the UEFA Champions League.
Solskjaer, who lost his first match on Tuesday, since taking of the team until the end of the season, said that Alexis "needs to find himself as we know there is a quality player there." Sanchez might have the quality, but his head really is not there at the moment.
Manchester United were putting up a pretty good fight right up until half-time, but once Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial both got injured, they never seemed to recapture the intensity that they had earlier on. Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez both came on, and whilst Mata did link up well in some parts of the match, the Chilean was dreadful with and without the ball.
Sanchez failed to complete a single dribble, he did not have a single shot, and he failed to complete a single key pass in the match, highlighting how ineffectual he really was. As the game progressed and PSG started to grow more and more dominant, Sanchez was reduced to simple passes and tracking back, sometimes even failing to do such simple things.
So where has it all gone wrong for Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United?
First of all, he was not needed at the club. The signing was purely to get him ahead of Manchester City and for marketing purposes. The team was crying out for a centre-back and a defensive midfielder, and a left-winger was the least of their worries, especially with Martial and Rashford being on such top form at the first half of last season. Once Sanchez came, he was immediately put into the side ahead of younger, more inform talents, and as a result, his form suffered greatly.
When he was still with Arsenal, he had failed to stamp his authority during the first half of the season, constantly being dropped by Arsene Wenger and being questioned over his attitude. He went to United as if he had forgotten how poorly he had played over the last few matches, and that form regressed even further once he joined the club.
The club also has a massive decision to make on the Chilean. With Anthony Martial now signing a new contract, Sanchez looks less and less part of the club's plans for the future than ever. With Sanchez being one of the highest paid players in the world, the club will be forced to either sell other players in order to keep him there, or else get rid of him.
When Sanchez came to the club and the club met his massive wage demands, other, more inform stars probably felt that they should have a wage rise, with players such as David De Gea, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial all earning less than the Chilean. This will cause utter turmoil when it comes to agreeing new contracts, especially with David De Gea, who's contract is up at the end of the year, and who has been Manchester United's top performer in the post-Ferguson era.
The club has a big decision to make on whether to let Sanchez go or to keep him, but whilst he is still there, he must try to stamp his authority and show that he truly cares about the club. He must first do so by paying the club back through consistent performances.
