In an interview with BBC Sport, Alexis Sanchez says he "does not regret" joining Manchester United and believes he did not get enough playing time to be successful.
I like Sanchez as a player. I loved watching him for Arsenal, he was often a match-winner and clearly on many occasions the best player on the park so why didn't that form translate to Manchester United?
He scored 80 goals from 166 apps for the Gooners after his transfer from Barcelona in 2014 but managed just 5 goals from 45 appearances for Man. U after his Jan 2018 transfer which saw him on £400,000 a week.
Is it the lure of the money that cloud their sporting judgement, or is it really the need to win trophies as Sanchez said in his interview. Whatever it was, it wasn't a match made in heaven and a move was on the cards when he was left out of Man U.'s pre-season plans. I would love to know how much of his wage bill Inter Milan are picking up!
All joking aside, I think there really is a North-South divide and that our Northern clubs, really are a gritty world away from the bright lights and perceived sophistication down South. A homegrown player would get this, a foreign player, especially a South America may not.
I will go away and try and find examples of South Americans, or even Spanish players who made it big at a club up North. Even Mourinho didn't 'get it'.
For Sanchez and for Man U, I think this parting of ways is for the best and surely the pushy agents of players and the silverware hungry owners of clubs must bear some blame in these badly thought out transfers. The amount of money wasted is staggering, and its the fans that pay.
More proof to me that there is still a huge difference between the English Game and the Continental game despite the influx of foreign managers into the English league. I love to see the fast interplay and speedy trickery, but on a cold winters day up North, it's the hard grind that sorts the men from the boys!
It's still a funny old game, and Alex Sanchez still looks like the bloke who owns the Kebab shop up Chequerfield.....
