Solskjaer says Sanchez ‘needed’ to leave Man Utd

Joe Williams
Alexis Sanchez Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thinks Alexis Sanchez “needed” to leave Manchester United after a turbulent 18 months at the club.

The 30-year-old arrived at United to a huge fanfare in January 2018 in a swap deal that saw out-of-favour Henrikh Mkhitaryan head to Arsenal.

But flashes of early promise swiftly petered out and Sanchez heads to Inter Milan having scored a meagre five goals in 45 appearances.

On Sanchez‘s loan move, Solskjaer told reporters: “I think Alexis needed to go. It has not really worked out for him, for him as well. It will only benefit everyone.

“I’m trusting Marcus [Rashford], Anthony [Martial], Mason [Greenwood] to be our centre forwards. We’ve got loads of options and for me it is time for our boys to feel the pressure. It is something which we are looking forward to.”

Whether there was now too much pressure on Mason Greenwood, Solskjaer added: “Mason is not used to playing as little as he is. He is used to playing every week, now he is coming on for half an hour here and there.

“He won’t be expected to play five games on the bounce, he is cover and an option behind Anthony and Marcus.”