I Regret Joining Man Utd from Arsenal – Sanchez Confesses

Alexis Sanchez wanted to terminate his Manchester United contract after just his first training session at Carrington following his move from Arsenal.

The forward landed in England back in 2014, signing for the Gunners from Barcelona and made an immediate impact.

In his debut season, Sanchez won the FA Cup and netted 25 goals across all competitions, cementing him as the club’s Player of the Year. Despite a less impressive second campaign, the Chile international bounced back spectacularly with 24 goals the following year.

Sanchez became a pivotal figure in Arsene Wenger’s side, drawing interest from the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United. When the former withdrew their offer, the Chilean chose to switch allegiances to Old Trafford – a move that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan go the other way.

At the time, hopes were high that the transition would pay off for Jose Mourinho’s team, but hindsight painted a picture of regret for Sanchez immediately after joining. In a candid revelation in 2020, as quoted by the Mirror, the former Arsenal and United star said: “I accepted the opportunity to go to United.

“It felt tempting, and it was something good for me. I liked this club a lot when I was a kid. Eventually, I signed, but I didn’t ask for information on what was happening inside the club. Sometimes there are things that you don’t realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things.

“After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent, ‘Can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal? ‘ They laughed. I told them there was something that didn’t sit right, it didn’t seem good.

“But I had already signed; I was already there. After the first few months, I carried on having the same feeling. We weren’t united as a team in that moment.”

With seven league goals to his name before the move, Sanchez would score just two more after his mid-season switch, also losing the FA Cup final to Chelsea. The following campaign, however, was nothing short of a disaster.

Having failed to find the back of the net in the first six league games of the season, he was dropped for a trip to West Ham – a move made by Mourinho that shot the forward’s confidence. Sanchez, who – according to the BBC, was on a four-and-a-half-year deal worth £14m a year after tax added: “In a game with West Ham, I wasn’t picked.