Paul Ince has argued that Alexis Sanchez could yet have a role to play at Man Utd when he returns from his loan spell at Inter this summer.
The 31-year-old arrived at Old Trafford in 2018 off the back of an impressive stint with rivals Arsenal. However, he failed to have that same impact as he managed just five goals and nine assists in 45 appearances before being shipped out on a season-long loan.
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A lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury has led to Sanchez failing to hit top form during his time back in Italy this season, as he’s managed just one goal and three assists in 15 outings for the Nerazzurri.
However, despite all that, Ince is still of the belief that there is a chance for the Chilean international to rescue his United future this summer as he could still prove his importance to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“I wouldn’t rule out Sanchez going back to United and being a key part of their team next season. Football is a funny old game,” he is quoted as saying by Goal.com. “Pre-season comes around and they’re a totally different player to the season before – they’re your key man the next season.
“So Sanchez could definitely go back to United, look fantastic in training [in pre-season], and bang suddenly he’s important to their plans after all.
“Some players are happy to count their money, but that’s not Sanchez – he plays with determination and passion, he clearly loves playing football.”
Much will arguably depend on Solskjaer’s approach to the situation and whether the loan spell was to offload him with a view of a permanent exit or to allow him to get regular playing time and return full of confidence and in form.
While the Man Utd boss does have a lot of quality in the final third in the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes, if Sanchez can rediscover some form, he could arguably still be an asset for the Red Devils as they try to compete on multiple fronts.
That said, a permanent exit could free up the space in the squad and the finances to land one of their preferred transfer targets this summer, and that could be the preferred option for Solskjaer to allow him to continue to stamp his mark on the squad.