CHILE HEAD COACH Reinaldo Rueda has suggested that Alexis Sanchez feels more love and affection with his national team than he does at Manchester United.
Alexis endured a miserable 2018-19 Premier League season as he scored just two times in all competitions over the entire campaign, with United finishing a disappointing sixth in the table.
His form has been much better on the international stage, however, as he scored his second Copa America goal in as many games in a 2-1 win over 10-man Ecuador on Friday.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward, who also played through an ankle injury, struck a 51st-minute winner to move onto two Copa goals, sending his side through to the quarter-finals in the process.
Alexis’s well-documented struggles at Old Trafford have seen him manage just five goals in 45 appearances across all competitions since joining the Red Devils in January 2018.
That form has seen him linked with an exit in the summer, with Serie A side Inter having been mooted as a potentially interested party, while a shock loan move to Palmeiras has also been mentioned in the press.
And Rueda feels that Alexis’s struggles domestically are a reflection of United being “unbalanced”, suggesting that he doesn’t get the same levels of affection with his club as he does on the international scene.
“He has the motivation, affection and some relationships that he has in the national team and maybe he didn’t have them in Manchester,” Rueda said after Chile’s victory over Ecuador.
“He arrived at a difficult, inopportune moment, perhaps in the most unbalanced United in recent years.”
Chile are guaranteed to advance from Group C after also winning their opening game 4-0 against Japan, but they must avoid defeat against Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro on Monday to secure top spot.
Uruguay started with a bang as they too recorded a 4-0 win to begin their Copa America campaign, easing past an Ecuador side whose ill-discipline saw them shown the first of what would be two red cards in as many games.
However, they struggled to a 2-2 draw with Japan last time out and need at least a draw to be certain of qualification to the knockout stages.
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