Alexis Sanchez was injured in a freak incident during Manchester United’s defeat by Paris Saint-Germain – colliding with a linesman while he was warming up. Chile star Sanchez is now battling to be fit for Monday’s FA Cup tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard already serious doubts for the fifth-round clash.
This is packed full of ? info for Monday’s match… #MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 15, 2019
Sanchez was preparing to come on for Lingard, who had strained his left hamstring towards the end of the first half in the 2-0 Champions League defeat. However, the United substitute became distracted by the match action as he jogged along the touchline and ran straight into Italian linesman Fabiano Preti. The collision floored Sanchez, who recovered sufficiently to replace Lingard moments before halftime, but he informed United’s coaching staff that he had suffered a leg injury above the knee.
The decision was taken to keep him out on the pitch to stop his leg from stiffening up, and Sanchez spent the interval warming up in a training top. The bizarre incident is the latest setback in Sanchez’s troubled United career, since he arrived from Arsenal 13 months ago as the club’s highest earner on £500 000 a week.
The 30-year-old was recovering from a hamstring injury when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December, and has started only three times in 12 games under the new caretaker manager. He has scored twice this season. Sanchez once again failed to impress off the bench against PSG, and Solskjaer admitted that only the player himself can solve his problems at Old Trafford.