Sanchez out of season opener

London - Alexis Sanchez will miss Arsenal's first Premier League game of the season after being given an extended break following his exertions with Chile at the Copa America.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Sanchez would return to the club at the start of August but would then need time to regain match fitness.

Sanchez will miss the Community Shield against league champions Chelsea at Wembley on August 2 as well as the league opener against West Ham United the following week after a gruelling Copa America campaign.

The athletic forward scored the winning penalty for his country in the Copa final against Argentina on July 4 in his 58th game of last season.

"Alexis will be back on August 3. Usually it takes three weeks to be competitive. With Alexis it could be a bit less. He will miss certainly the first game," Wenger told a news conference in Singapore.

"He is an important player for us and he showed he has the winning mentality when he took on the responsibility to take the last penalty in the Copa America final against Argentina."

The 26-year-old Sanchez became a pivotal figure in Arsenal's campaign last season, helping them put a superb run of results together in the second half of the campaign.