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'It's been a traumatic year for Sanchez', says Chile coach

Chile head coach Reinaldo Rueda says Alexis Sanchez suffered during his time in England with Manchester United.

Sanchez joined United in a part-exchange deal from Arsenal, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving the other way.

But the forward struggled immensely at Old Trafford, scoring just five goals for the club in 45 appearances.

He was sent on loan to Inter Milan in the summer but has been unable to establish himself under Antonio Conte due to injury.

To make matters worse, Sanchez has even been linked with West Ham, a fate one would not wish on their worst enemy.

Reinaldo Rueda hopes the player can realise something close to his best form when football returns from its current hiatus.

"It's been a traumatic year for him, very tortuous, even after his departure from Arsenal, his first year in Manchester," Rueda told Diario Sport.

"He came to the Copa America in Brazil and then he was very unlucky to get injured in Alicante in a friendly against Colombia.

"It almost frustrated his loan to Inter.

"Once he had recovered, the pandemic happened. I hope it passes fast because he is a great professional. He has a great training culture and he will maintain a high level at any club that can give him an opportunity. He has a lot of football yet to show at the top level.

"There are many factors that come together for extraordinary players not to succeed in a given place.

"After being a star and having important roles in other places, arriving at Barcelona and having a secondary role is hard. That has been the case for many players there. Few have managed to adapt quickly to that new role, perhaps Neymar or even Arturo Vidal have shown that intelligence. It’s not easy to establish why Alexis did not succeed at Barcelona."

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