Alexis is a disruptor at United and it's going to be a while until the dust settles and we understand the true benefits of the lad. I'm not saying that he's not good - he's clearly going to be amazing for us. What I am talking about is the impact of his signing on the rest of the team. We haven't bought him on 1st July and got a full pre-season to bed him in - we need to work out what works as we go along.
It's clearly going to have a significant impact to the 'normal' first 11 starting. Alexis will take one of the front four berths but who will take the other two (assuming Lukaku has got the other locked down). This isn't just going to be 'who's the fastest', or 'who's got the best tricks', but more who has the best relationship with Pogba, Alexis and Lukaku.
We have Lingard, Rashford, Martial and Mata fighting over two spots - possibly one if as I hope we continue to put Pogba at the head of a midfield three. With Alexis instigating such a change I'm not sure we are supporters are going to be able to have much valid analysis for a while and will have to trust in Jose and what he sees on the training ground.
Of the four on first look I could see Mata struggling for game time but it may well go in completely the opposite direction. With Alexis having so much urgency and flair, who is able to make and receive pinpoint passes, you may well be looking for someone who will gel with this. Lingard, Rashford and Martial have often shown either an inability to look up or an inability to thread the pinpoint pass. Mata might well end up higher up the pecking order.
One thing for sure, not having to *always* rely on the these options from the start but more giving them rotation from the bench can only be a good thing for Man Utd and these players. Let them grow into form, rather than playing them anyway when they are not.
What I would question is whether Sanchez is good enough to merit all of the disruption his arrival will now evidently cause. He's 29 and we had two of the best prospects in all of world football in that same position.
Our lack of medium and long term planning in the transfer market is a real concern, and in no position is this more evident than on the left wing. We bought Depay, one of the best young prospects as an inside left forward, then at the end of the same transfer window we bought Martial, one of the best young prospects as an inside left forward. Fast forward five or so months, injury crisis, Rashford steps up, and now we realise we have another one of the best young prospects as an inside left forward. Something was going to have to give and Depay was sold. Fast forward a year or two, Martial and Rashford are doing fine and everyone agrees that it is the right side of the attack that has been neglected and needs investment. Sanchez, a great inside left forward, albeit one probably just the wrong side of his peak becomes available and we now buy him. We hope there is some vision there from the manager and the club to best mesh Sanchez with our existing cohort, but instead Sanchez is given his preferred role and the others are made to carve out a new niche. We are now no stronger than we were previously and are making the futures of Martial and Rashford less certain. This is especially problematic with a manger like Mourinho who will play his stars 90 minutes every time.
In all this time, we have not bought anyone for the right side of the pitch. Even some of our central midfielders, prefer playing on the left of centre, both Pogba and Matic.
I was excited about Sanchez, but now it is sheer apathy. United are still going to be the same as they have been for the past two years: threatening cutting in from the left flank, no threat on the right and a distinct lack of overlapping full backs. None of our attacking options were good on the right until now, so why would it now be any different? Lukaku is our our best fecking option at attacking the right flank and swinging a cross in.
*This is not knee jerk to yesterday. I thought we were very unfortunate not to score and ultimately win.
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