Alexis Sanchez completes his highly anticipated move to Manchester United

Player: Alexis Sanchez

Age: 29 years

Position: Forward

Nationality: Chile

To: Manchester United

From: Arsenal

Transfer Fee: Swap Deal

Alexis Sanchez' transfer saga has finally come to a conclusion. With his Arsenal contract running out, the  Chilean has completed his highly anticipated transfer to rivals Manchester United.  

The transfer is a swap deal with the now former Man United play-maker Henrikh Mlhitaryan has signed for the Gunners.


Sanchez was expected to move to United's cross-town rivals, PL leaders Man City and link-up with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola. But with City dropping interest, it was United who may be proven to be the biggest winners of the deal.

He is now the second high profile arrival to move from Arsenal to Man United; following the footsteps of one, 
Robin Van Persie who guided United the 2012-13 PL Title with his attacking prowess. 

He has signed a long-term contract until 2022.

Sanchez is among few of the iconic players currently in Europe as he takes the iconic No.7 jersey, worn by club legends such as George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Career Statistics:

Appearances: 450

Goals: 152

Assists: 105

450 appearances entirely justify how worthy of a talent he is along with a goal scoring record of 152 goals and over a century of assists.

Sanchez was a vital member of the Barcelona team, picking up a La Liga title, Spanish Cup and Super Cup in his three seasons with the club.

Arsenal

Appearances: 166

Goals: 80

Assists: 46

With game-time limited, Arsenal decided to bring the dynamic Chilean to the PL and the move didn't disappoint as he burst onto the scene with 16 PL goals in his first season.

Altogether, he has fired a staggering 80 goals for the Gunners across three-and-a-half seasons, winning the FA Cup on two occasions.

Premier League

Appearances: 122

Goals: 60

Assists: 27

2017-18 PL Season

Appearances: 19

Goals: 7

Assists: 3

In the PL, Sanchez has established himself among the fiercest strikers as his 60 league goals speak for itself. 

He scored a career-high 24 PL goals last season but had a poor return this season with just 7, largely due to speculation about his future but now he would want to regain his form with his new side.

Competition Eligibility

Sanchez will be able to play for United in the UEFA Champions League this season, which is a huge boost for the Red Devils. He has only featured for Arsenal in their Europa League campaign without playing a minute in the UCL so far.

He is also eligible to play in the FA Cup as he wasn't in the squad for Arsenal's defeat to Nottingham Forest this month, a competition he has won on two occasions.

Position Conundrum!

Alexis has plenty of agility, trickery, phenomenal technique and finishing ability combining with a brilliant work rate which will definitely please Man United manager Jose Mourinho.

Alexis prefers playing on the left wing due to his ability to cut inside and shoot on goal. Currently, United have a player who is playing that role brilliantly, Anthony Martial who has scored 9 goals this season, two more than Sanchez. Mourinho would love to pair up the two in the attack.

In the No.10 role is where Sanchez would thrive at, which could even benefit one player, in particular, Romelu Lukaku. 

Sanchez can also feature as a false No.9, the position he thrived in last season. The manager has a brilliant option in that position, especially in some of the tricky away fixtures.

Arsenal may have got a fantastic deal instead of letting Alexis leave on a free transfer and have also welcomed talisman Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

By getting in Sanchez, Man United may be the happier of the two sides this season as he checks most of the boxes a player of his caliber would bring to club of Manchester United's stature;

First Chilean to play for the club ✔

Lethal Goalscorer ✔

Iconic No.7 ✔

UCL eligibility ✔

FA Cup eligibility ✔

Fan Favorite ✔

Future Club Legend ✔