Former Liverpool midfielder David Thompson believes Pep Guardiola stopped short of signing Alexis Sanchez for Manchester City because he spotted the winger’s decline.
Manchester United beat off competition from their cross town rivals to sign Sanchez from Arsenal in the winter window, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving to the Emirates as part of a straight swap.
The Chilean is yet to live up to his billing at Old Trafford and has struggled to put his stamp on Manchester United’s performances this season, leading to question marks over whether the Red Devils should have signed him in the first place.
Thompson believes Sanchez has not been in his element for some time now and has not resembled the player he was a few years ago.
And the former Red feels Guardiola spotted the Chilean’s decline, which could have stopped him from going all out for him in January.
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Thompson took to Twitter and wrote: “I personally think Sanchez’s form has been off for nearly 18 months
“Has he lost hunger and desire? I don’t know but you very rarely see him as feisty as when he first came or when he was at Barca!
“I think Pep saw that.”
Jose Mourinho has attributed Sanchez’s struggles to him joining Manchester United in the middle of the campaign and is confident that he will be at his best again next season.
