Former Arsenal midfielder Marc Overmars reckons Alexis Sanchez could make a shock return to the Emirates Stadium from Manchester United.
In an interview with Chilean radio station ADN Deportes, Arsenal legend Marc Overmars has made a shocking claim that Manchester United superstar Alexis Sanchez could rejoin the Gunners in the future.
The 30-year-old Sanchez sparked controversy when he joined Manchester United in January last year in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan make the move to the Emirates Stadium. The Chilean international became the highest wage-earner in the Premier League upon joining the Red Devils, with a pay packet worth £400,000 a week.
However, the move hasn’t gone as per plan for either parties. Since joining Manchester United, Sanchez has managed to find the back of the net on just 5 occasions in 37 matches, struggling for form. Injuries haven’t helped the Chilean’s cause, as he has featured in just 14 Premier League matches this season, scoring just one goal in the process.
The 30-year-old was particularly poor in Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 stages of the UEFA Champions League, after he came on to replace the injured Jesse Lingard close to half-time.
Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was far from pleased with Sanchez’s performance. “I can’t do anything about Alexis Sanchez. When he plays he needs to finds himself because we know there’s a quality player there,” the Norwegian said post the match, as quoted by The Telegraph.
And now Overmars, who spent three years at Arsenal between 1997 and 2000, believes Sanchez made the wrong move in leaving Arsenal for Manchester United, before claiming that the Chilean could return to the Gunners in the future.
Speaking to ADN Deportes, the Dutchman said: “I have great respect for Alexis, because he did extremely well in Arsenal, but I do not know if it was a good decision to leave.
“English football changes you, it turns you around, and it took me a step forward. Arsene Wenger arrived a year before me, Dennis Bergkamp made a big impression England. It was a fantastic time, I think we changed the history of the club a bit.
“These type of players were very important for Arsenal, because that’s where they take you to focus, after Alexis, Arsenal tried to sign another player like that, but he was not given, so he could go back to Arsenal.”
Having joined Arsenal from Barcelona in the summer of 2014, Sanchez enjoyed a successful spell, as he made 166 appearances for the North London outfit, scoring 80 goals and setting up 45 more, winning two FA Cups in the process.
However, he pretty much burned all bridges with the Gunners when he forced through a move away to Manchester United last year. And a return to the Emirates, despite what Overmars reckons, seems extremely unlikely for the 30-year-old.
