'I regretted joining Man Utd from Arsenal – I wanted to go back after one day'

Alexis Sanchez wanted to rip up his Manchester United contract and return to Arsenal after his first Red Devils training session in 2018.

The Chilean touched down on English soil in 2014, joining the Gunners from Barcelona, and immediately hit the ground running. An FA Cup triumph, accompanied by 25 goals in all competitions, saw him named the club’s Player of the Year in his debut season.

A slightly more disappointing second campaign was eclipsed by a 24-goal masterclass the following year before Sanchez was given a big decision to make in 2018. Having developed into key player for Arsene Wenger’s side, there was no shortage of suitors for the star, who had been attracting interest from both Manchester City and United.

After City decided to end their pursuit of the former Barcelona man, Sanchez opted to jump ship to Old Trafford, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading in the opposite direction. Many believed at the time the transfer would bear fruit for Jose Mourinho’s side, but quite the opposite occurred, leaving Sanchez full of regret after just one training session.

"I accepted the opportunity to go to United, it felt tempting, and it was something good for me," Sanchez admitted in 2020. Adding: "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, nothing short of a disaster. Having failed to find the back of the net in the first six league games of the season, the Chilean was dropped for a trip to West Ham – a move made by Mourinho that shot the forward’s confidence.

"In a game with West Ham, I wasn't picked," Sanchez added. "That had never happened to me as a player. It bothered me, and I said it couldn't be possible.

"To go from being one of the best in the Premier League to not playing in five months. I came to my house, and I was very sad. The next day, I trained in a double shift because I love what I do."

Extra training sessions would not help. Sanchez mustered just two goals in all competitions that term, hampered by a hamstring injury. After a loan move to Italy the following season, he made the switch to Inter Milan permanent in 2020.

Sanchez would stay in Milan until 2022 and returned after a one-year stint with Marseille in 2023. He now plies his trade with Udinese, a far cry from the heights he reached in north London.