Chile boss claims Sanchez will 'perform at a high level for any club that can give him a chance'
Wednesday 22 April 2020 08:17, UK
Alexis Sanchez has endured a "tough" period since joining Manchester United but still has a few years left at the top, insists Chile head coach Reinaldo Rueda.
Sanchez, who has scored five goals in 45 matches for United, picked up an ankle injury in October while on international duty with Chile, just a few months into his season-long loan at Inter Milan.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward has subsequently failed to score in 11 appearances for the Italian side since returning to action in January, making a permanent move beyond his current loan unlikely.
But Rueda has backed the 31-year-old to return to his best, telling Spanish publication Sport: "It's been a tough year for him, and that trend goes back to when he left Arsenal and his first year at Manchester United.
"He came to the Copa America in Brazil and was then unlucky enough to get injured against Colombia in a friendly in Alicante. That almost thwarted his loan move to Inter and when he eventually recovered from injury, the pandemic struck.
"I just hope all this passes quickly because he's a great professional with such a strong work ethic and he'll perform at a high level for any club that can give him a chance. He still has plenty of football left in him at the top level."
Before he came to the Premier League, Sanchez joined Spanish giants Barcelona from Italian side Udinese in 2011.
Barcelona had just won the Spanish league title and Champions League double under Pep Guardiola - the second time in three seasons the Catalans had won Europe's elite competition.
Sanchez won La Liga and the Copa del Rey in his three seasons at Barcelona and was later sold to Arsenal in 2014.
"There are many factors that can come together for extraordinary players not to be a success at a club," added Rueda.
"After playing a key role and being a leading figure elsewhere, it's hard to get to Barcelona and find yourself playing second fiddle. It's happened to many players there. Very few have managed to adapt to that new role quickly.
"You have Neymar and maybe Arturo Vidal [in that category] as well, as they've shown their footballing intelligence. It's not simple to pinpoint why Alexis didn't end up being successful at Barcelona."
