How do you explain Alexis Sanchez?

[NoPace]

It’s simple, his legs have gone. Happens to everyone eventually, some sooner than others.

He was probably 2nd to Hazard in the prem at changing direction quickly and now there are dozens of players you'd say were quicker.

14 years and 720 games for club and country is a ton for a winger, a position you would think has an earlier peak than central positions. It's why 50M for Perisic made less sense than just having the balls to pull the trigger on a less proven but younger option like Malcolm last summer.

If Sanchez can play in a front 2 I could see him having another year of adequate goalscoring, or maybe Conte's 3-4-2-1 even, but like aging Everton Rooney, his overall play would be poor while his instincts and hunger and poise as a finisher (and getting to take on slower CBs rather than FBs with dribbles in the box) keep his goalscoring numbers respectable.

 

[marktan]

I don't understand why fans are so deluded about the reality.

• "Sanchez will come good if given a run of game";
• "Lukaku has not been played in the right system, he needs to stay";
• "Lingard is still a young lad, he gives his all and will only be a squad player anyway";
• "Smalling is a great pure defender, he will only be 4th choice so no worries";
• "Martial needs to get his number 9 back and he will suddenly become a world class attacker";
• "the Glazers have not been leeching out billions of pounds of the club and it's all Moyes/LVG/Mourinho/Ole's fault, Woodward has backed all the managers and the club hierarchy is full of competent businessmen, who know what they are doing", and so on and so forth.

Our club is a total shambles from top to bottom. We need a serious change, starting from the decision makers and the people that plan the future of Manchester United.

Add "Mata needs to play as a no.10 finally" and then he'll somehow erase the last 6 years and gain 10 yards of pace and enough muscle so that a breeze of wind doesn't blow him over.

Sanchez's legs have clearly gone. A header against Japan and a goal against Ecuador doesn't change that. We've seen it for the last 2 years. It happened to Rooney, it happened to Torres, both at similar ages, it happens.

 

[tenpoless]

The most annoying thing is that his legs were gone in his first game for us.

 

[sunama]

I don't understand why fans are so deluded about the reality.

• "Sanchez will come good if given a run of games";
• "Lukaku has not been played in the right system, he needs to stay";
• "Lingard is still a young lad, he gives his all and will only be a squad player anyway";
• "Smalling is a great pure defender, he will only be 4th choice so no worries";
• "Martial needs to get his number 9 back and he will suddenly become a world class attacker";
• "the Glazers have not been leeching out billions of pounds of the club and it's all Moyes/LVG/Mourinho/Ole's fault, Woodward has backed all the managers and the club hierarchy is full of competent businessmen, who know what they are doing", and so on and so forth.

Our club is a total shambles from top to bottom. We need a serious change, starting from the decision makers and the people that plan the future of Manchester United.

Agreed on every point.