Alexis Sanchez
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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is reported to have stepped up his chase for long-term transfer target Alexis Sanchez after seeing his team slip to three Premier League defeats already. The Red Devils have missed the creativity and dribbling skills of Cristiano Ronaldo and the diminutive Chilean could provide a similar threat with his individual skill. Alexis Alejandro Sanchez Sanchez may not be a household name in England but he is extremely highly regarded in South America and now around Europe. He is known as ‘El Nino Maravilla’ which translates as the ‘Wonder Boy’. Just like Ronaldo this lad is blessed with an abundance of talent as well as an array of tricks the two times PFA Player of the Year would be proud of. Despite his tender age, the 20-year-old has already played for 4 different clubs in three different countries.
The Chilean teenager scored 5 goals in 27 League games for the club (23 starts) as well as bagging a hat-trick in a Copa Libertadores match with Venezuelan side Caracas. His next stop after Colo-Colo was a loan move to River Plate in Argentina.
The teenager’s spell in Argentina had been an impressive one as he helped the club to the 2008 Clausura title. Sanchez scored 4 League goals in 28 appearances (18 starts) leading to a huge growth in his reputation back in Chile and in South America in general. He is tipped to be the next Chilean grown player to become a global star like Ivan Zamarano and Marcelo Salas before him. Especially as Chile have qualified for the World Cup finals and he is expected to play a key role. In Argentina, he has topped popularity polls above the distinguished likes of Boca Juniors star Juan Roman Riquelme which is no mean feat.
There are doubts over the player’s ability to withstand the physical nature of the western leagues as he is slightly built and stands at 5 ft 7. However, this has seen him likened to Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and any comparison with arguably the best player in the world right now is high praise indeed.
Sanchez has already won 26 caps for his country despite his tender age and scored 8 goals. In fact, the youngster had already broken into his national side aged 17. He was highly impressive in Chile’s short tour of Europe prior to the 2006 World Cup where he performed against the Republic of Ireland, the Ivory Coast and Sweden earning many plaudits. The winger played a key role in Chile’s World Cup qualification including goals against Peru and Bolivia (2)
The ‘wonder boy’ returned to Udinese in the summer of 2008 to finally compete for a spot in their side. Even before playing a match for the Italians, the club reportedly rejected an enquiry from the Red Devils for the £15m rated star. The Chilean impressed in his first season in the Udinese first team where Sanchez played 32 league matches (18 starts) and scored 3 goals. This season the youngster has made 11 league appearances (7 starts) without scoring but Udinese sit 12th in Serie A after a relatively poor start to the campaign.
Udinese have repeatedly resisted any suitors but Manchester United are stepping up the chase as they look to add more quality to the side after the disappointing performance of Nani who is also attracting attention from Serie A. Sanchez recently had a hernia operation so will be out for a few weeks but should be fit and back in the Udinese team in December where he will continue to be heavily scouted by the Red Devils. United will want to do a deal before the World Cup finals as he is expected to shine at the finals which may push up his price tag.
Would you like Alexis Sanchez to join the club? Have United missed a player of his dribbling abilities in wide areas this season? Let’s hear your views.
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