Manchester United’s signing of Alexis Sanchez made sense for a number of reasons, despite the vast uneconomical outlay for the 29-year-old. Sanchez is now the Premier League’s highest paid player and he’s certainly amongst the finest in the league when he’s at the top of his game.
The statement from United that they can compete with their near rivals off the pitch was also important, even if they can’t quite match them on it at present. It was an ambitious move from the club and it will surely reap its reward in the future, with Sanchez an upgrade on the other attacking players at Old Trafford.
However, his deployment on the left-hand side of attack has caused a disparity in Jose Mourinho’s 4-2-3-1 formation. The Chilean spent the majority of his time at Arsenal in the role, although he has played in other positions throughout his career.
Arsene Wenger had used him as a central striker on occasion and that’s where he plays his international football alongside Eduardo Vargas in a mobile partnership. Sanchez predominantly played on the right wing at Barcelona, with Lionel Messi in the middle and Neymar on the left.
At Udinese, he was a No.10, which saw him use his speed to run at the opposition from between the defensive lines. “He can play in all three attacking positions, he shows intense defensive skills, he's direct and from what I've been told, he's a very nice kid,” said Pep Guardiola when the then Barcelona manager announced his transfer from Italy to Catalonia.
Sanchez has the desire to carry out his new coaches wishes from a preservation point of view, but it will take a short adaptation period to know exactly what is required. Both Mourinho and Sanchez appear to want him to play on the left, but it does risk destabilising the overall collective.
“In the second half I try to give him a position where he could be more close to (Romelu) Lukaku,” said Mourinho after Sanchez’s debut against Tottenham Hotspur. “But he felt the need to drop too much and he was dropping too much to try to organise.”
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford had been performing relatively well on that side but will now have to adhere to Mourinho’s intention to use Sanchez in this manner. Martial has looked less effective since he has switched to the right-wing due to his preference to cut inside onto his favoured right foot, although Rashford did rise through the ranks at Carrington as a No.10.
Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard are best suited to the other jobs within the attacking trident behind Lukaku at this time and United’s solitary win since the arrival of Sanchez came against Huddersfield Town when Mata occupied the area. That is partly due to Mata’s lateral movement, which enables greater control in central zones.
Mourinho may also look to change formation to get more out of Paul Pogba, although his squad currently has more quality and options in attack than in midfield. Sanchez has the versatility to take up a different position, it all depends if he is willing to sacrifice his ego over the need of the team.
