‘I regretted leaving Arsenal to sign for Man Utd – I didn’t know about their problems'

Alexis Sanchez immediately regretted joining Manchester United in 2018, wanting to terminate his contract and return to Arsenal after just one training session. The Chilean forward arrived at Arsenal from Barcelona in 2014, quickly becoming a standout performer with an FA Cup triumph and 25 goals in his first season, earning him the club’s Player of the Year award.

Despite a dip in form the second year, he bounced back with a 24-goal haul before facing a crucial decision in 2018 with interest from Manchester City – and United hot on his heels.

When City stepped back, Sanchez made the switch to Old Trafford in a swap deal that sent Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Arsenal. Many anticipated this move would benefit Jose Mourinho’s team – however, the outcome was one of disillusionment for Sanchez.

“I accepted the opportunity to go to United, it felt tempting, and it was something good for me,” Sanchez confessed in 2020. “I liked this club a lot when I was a kid. Eventually, I signed, but I didn’t ask for information on what was happening inside the club.

“Sometimes there are things that you don’t realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things.

“After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent, ‘can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal?’ They laughed. I told them there was something that didn’t sit right, it didn’t seem good. But I had already signed. I was already there. After the first few months, I carried on having the same feeling. We weren’t united as a team in that moment.”

Sanchez, boasting seven league goals prior to his transfer, only managed to net twice following his mid-season move and even experienced the agony of an FA Cup final loss to Chelsea.

The following season was nothing short of calamitous. Without a goal in the opening six league fixtures, the Chilean international faced a new low when Mourinho left him out for a match against West Ham – an exclusion that undeniably shattered his confidence.

“In a game with West Ham, I wasn’t picked,” Sanchez added (via the Mirror). “That had never happened to me as a player. It bothered me, and I said it couldn’t be possible. To go from being one of the best in the Premier League to not playing in five months. I came to my house, and I was very sad. The next day, I trained in a double shift because I love what I do.”

Additional training sessions proved futile, however. Sanchez managed to score a mere two goals in all competitions that season, hindered by a hamstring injury.

Following a loan move to Italy the next season, he made his transfer to Inter Milan permanent in 2020. Sanchez remained in Milan until 2022 and came back after a one-year spell with Marseille in 2023. He currently plays for Udinese, a stark contrast to the heights he achieved in north London.