Alexis Sanchez drops Man Utd bombshell from PSG defeat: 'No, something's not right'

Posted Sunday, February 17, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Alexis Sanchez drops Man Utd bombshell from PSG defeat: 'No, something's not right'
Alexis Sanchez admits he did not think Man Utd could respond against PSG (Image: GETTY)

ALEXIS SANCHEZ has incredibly claimed he never believed his Manchester United team-mates would come back against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League last-16 first leg tie.

Manchester United came into the match in buoyant mood having won 10 out of 11 games under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

In the first half, the two sides were evenly matched but United suffered a double blow just before half time when Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial were forced off with injuries.

Sanchez and Juan Mata were brought on by Solskjaer for the second half but they offered little as PSG took control.

Presnel Kimpembe broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute then Kylian Mbappe doubled PSG’s lead seven minutes later.

It means United face an uphill task to reach the quarter-finals.

But in a shock admission, Sanchez admits he looked at his team-mates and did not feel they had what it took to respond after Kimpembe opened the scoring.

"When they scored that first goal, I looked at them [team-mates] and I thought, no, something's not right,” Sanchez told the BBC.

"I looked in their eyes and I thought, there isn't that feeling there [of coming back], I'm not getting it."

Sanchez will be hoping for a response on Monday night when United visit Chelsea in the FA Cup.

The 30-year-old has scored just five goals for the club since joining last January.

Sanchez looks set for a run in the team with Lingard and Martial out for the next few weeks.

And he admitted he needs to start performing.

"He [Solskjaer] hasn't spoken to me a great deal about what I have to do on the pitch, but I think I'm an experienced player and I think I know what I need to do and what I shouldn't do," Sanchez said.

"I'm a player that, if I'm not in contact with the ball, I lose that spark, and sometimes I want to play in every game.

“You're in, you're out, and I'm used to paying.

"It's not an excuse because if I go on for 10, 20 minutes, I have to perform because that's what I'm here for, to make a difference.

"I would like to have brought more joy to the club.

“Yes, it worries me because I believe in my abilities as a player, I want to show it.

"I don't know how people see me, but football is what I've loved from being a kid and it's my passion."

Whether or not Sanchez plays against Chelsea it remains to be seen.

Lingard and Martial are both out but Sanchez injured himself while warming up as a sub against PSG.

"The referee's assistant, when we had a counter-attack, came flying down the line, and I had my foot there and he crashed into me. Bang,” he revealed.

"And I went back to the dugout and I said to [reserve goalkeeper] Sergio Romero: 'I've just been whacked and I'm about to go on'.

"I've got bruising but that's not an excuse for not being on my game in the way that I normally am."