‘I felt he was not a happy man’ – Mourinho explains why he struggled to ‘get the best out of’ Sanchez at Man Utd

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Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho felt Alexis Sanchez was a “sad man” during his time at Old Trafford, which is why he failed to perform.

Sanchez completed a switch to Manchester from Arsenal in January 2018, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan sent off to Emirates Stadium in an exchange deal – as per BBC Sport.

The Chilean was an unstoppable force for the Gunners, but he has been unable to replicate that form at the Theatre of Dreams, managing just five goals in 45 appearances across all competitions.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deemed Sanchez surplus to requirements for the 2019-20 campaign and sent him off to Inter Milan on loan at the start of August, where he will remain until next June – as per BBC Sport.

Mourinho was the man who initially lured the 30-year-old to Manchester and he has now offered an explanation as to why he struggled to “get the best out of” a mercurial talent.

The Portuguese tactician told The Telegraph: “Sanchez… I felt him [to be] not a happy man. And I think in every job you have when you are not happy it is not so easy to perform at every level.

“And maybe I am wrong. Maybe it was me who was not capable to get into him and to get the best out of him.

Sanchez is spending the 2019-20 season on loan at Inter

“As a manager sometimes you have the capacity to get the best out of the players and other times you are not successful in that approach. But the reality is that I always felt [of Sanchez], ‘a sad man’.

“So probably in Italy, he will recover this. I hope he can. I always wish well to every player.”

United sacked Mourinho in December after a poor run of results, with Sanchez among those who failed to live up to expectations while he was in charge at Old Trafford.

Inter do not have the option to buy the Chile international, but it is safe to say that if he flourishes in Italy, a permanent move away from Manchester will be granted next summer.

Mourinho’s comments suggest that Sanchez never truly settled at United and as he approaches the latter stages of his career, the slower, more methodical pace of Serie A may prove to be a better fit for him than the Premier League.

More Stories Alexis Sanchez Henrikh Mkhitaryan Jose Mourinho Ole Gunnar Solskjaer