Alexis Sanchez: Chilean ‘Wonder Boy’ in ‘Come & Get Me’ Plea to Manchester United

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is reported to have stepped up his interest in Chilean international Alexis Sanchez after the player issued a ‘come and get me’ plea to clubs from Spain and England.

He said, “My agent has told me that a lot of big clubs have asked about me. I’m still focused on Udinese, but I have personal ambitions this summer and England and Spain are sensational leagues.”

Sanchez has been a long-term target of the Red Devils and is seen as the player to add more creativity and dribbling ability to the current squad. The Red Devils failed to retain the Premier League title narrowly. At times Manchester United missed the creativity and dribbling skills of Cristiano Ronaldo and the diminutive Chilean could provide a similar threat with his own individual skills.

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 21-year-old has already played for 4 different clubs in three different countries and is set to star at the summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa. The question remains whether Manchester United and the Premier League will be his next move.

The Youngster began his career with Chilean side Cobreloa where he made a total of 40 League appearances whilst scoring 9 goals before Italian outfit Udinese signed him for a fee of $3 million. He was then immediately loaned out to Colo-Colo who paid Udinese nearly $150,000 for his services for both the 2006 Clausura (closing) championship and the 2007 Apertura (opening) championship of which they won both.

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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 qualified for the World Cup finals and he is expected to play a key role against the likes of Spain, Switzerland and Honduras. Sir Alex Ferguson would like to secure the signing before then as a good showing would push the player’s price-tag up further. In Argentina, he topped popularity polls above the distinguished likes of Boca Juniors star Juan Roman Riquelme which is no mean feat. Sanchez could well become the next terrace cult hero of the Manchester United fans.

There are doubts over the player’s ability to withstand the physical nature of English football 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. Manchester United’s style would certainly suit him as he is a player that loves to be in possession and is very adventurous.

Sanchez has already won 28 caps for his country despite his tender age and scored 11 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 both Peru and Bolivia (2). Scouts from a number of clubs have tracked his progress but Sir Alex Ferguson has been following the players career for some time and is now set to seal a £19m move to Old Trafford.

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. Last season the youngster made 32 league appearances (25 starts) and scored 5 goals. However, the club finished a lowly 15th which has led to Sanchez expressing a desire to leave.

Udinese have repeatedly resisted any suitors but Manchester United are stepping up the chase as they look to add more quality to the side in a bid to recapture the title next season. Reports in Chile suggest a deal could be pushed through before the World Cup finals.

Would you like Alexis Sanchez to join the club? Have Manchester United missed a player of his dribbling abilities in wide areas? Let’s hear your views.

Tags: Alexis Sanchez, chile, Football Pools, Manchester United, Udinese, World Cup

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