By the time the final whistle blew at Old Trafford on May 12th, bringing the curtain down on a pretty dire season, most fans were convinced that the curtain was also coming down on Alexis Sanchez’s equally dire United career. From the moment he first pulled on a United shirt something just didn’t quite seem right, it was as if he was carrying an injury. ‘It’ll be alright’, we all thought, ‘he’ll come good, just wait and see’. So we waited, and waited, then the 2017/18 season ended and we somehow convinced ourselves that what he needed was a good pre-season. When he eventually made it to the USA for United’s summer tour (after initially being denied a visa because of a Spanish tax fraud conviction) Sanchez was one of United’s standout performers – particularly in the 1-1 draw with AC Milan where he was by far the best player on the pitch, and the 2-1 win against Real Madrid where he scored the opener and provided the assist for Herrera’s match winning strike.

When the 2018/19 season rolled around the stage was set for Sanchez to shake off the troubles that had beset him in his first campaign, however the new season started where the previous one had left off, with him showing flashes of his ability while for the most part being ineffective. Although it’s true that injuries hampered his progress, Sanchez was fit for most of Solskjaer’s miraculous run of early results and it’s telling that he didn’t score in any of those Premier League games. United’s season ground to a halt amid rumours of an unsettled dressing room, with one of the supposed issues being Sanchez’s £26 million salary, which his performances simply do not justify. The fans had seen enough and wanted him out as the stats don’t lie, in fact many thought that he was in danger of being hit with another fraud charge, this time for falsely claiming to be a world class footballer.
Here’s a look at Sanchez’s goal per game ratio whilst playing in Europe:

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