"I realised a lot of things" - When ex-Manchester United star revealed why he wanted to rip contract at Old Trafford and join Arsenal
Alexis Sanchez once revealed that he wanted to leave Manchester United after just one training session at the club.
The Red Devils invested a huge sum to bring him from Arsenal in January 2018. According to Fox Sports, the total package, including the fee, signing-on bonus, wages, etc. took the amount to around £165.3 million.
An announcement video where the Chilean was seen playing the piano broke the internet, and fans were excited to see what he had in store for Manchester United. But he had a troubled stint in Manchester and was eventually permanently offloaded in the summer of 2020 to Inter Milan.
Sanchez left Manchester United with just five goals and nine assists in 45 games across competitions. It was evident that the former Arsenal man was struggling with the Red Devils, and he later revealed that he wished to leave the club before even making his debut.
Taking to Instagram in September 2020, Sanchez had this to say about his move to Manchester (h/t ESPN):
"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's something that doesn't sit right, it doesn't seem good. But I 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."
Sanchez, who is now 35, played for two years at Inter before joining Marseille for the 2022-23 season on a free transfer. He returned to I Nerazzurri on a one-year deal last summer.
Alexis Sanchez's record at Arsenal before Manchester United transfer
There was a reason Manchester United dug deep into their pockets for Alexis Sanchez and made him the club's highest-paid player six years ago.
The Chilean superstar was prolific for Arsenal after his £30 million transfer from Barcelona in the summer of 2014. During his stint with the Emirates outfit, he racked up 80 goals and 45 assists in 166 games for the club.
The 2016-17 Premier League season was arguably one of the finest campaigns from a player whose team didn't even finish in the top four. Arsenal finished fifth in the table with 75 points and Sanchez, who played every single league game that season, scored 24 goals and laid out 11 assists.
Sanchez won three trophies during his time in north London, including two FA Cup triumphs.