Former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has claimed that ex-Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez was ‘not happy’ in England.
The Chilean, who represented both the Red Devils and the Gunners in his time in the Premier League, is currently plying his trade for Italian giants Inter Milan.
His spell on English shores ended in acrimonious circumstances as he shocked Arsenal fans by securing a move to Old Trafford, whilst he also failed to live up to expectations in Manchester having netted just five goals in 45 appearances in all competitions.
Sanchez’s record for Inter is much better with 17 goals and 22 assists in 93 outings - a count which includes a goal against Mourinho’s AS Roma side in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday evening.
Mourinho, who signed the former Barcelona man during his time in the Old Trafford dugout, dropped a surprising revelation on the winger following the game.
He said via the Daily Mail: “I spoke with him [Sanchez] at the start of the match.
“In England he was not happy, it was not his natural habitat, it is here.”
It would certainly be a surprise to see those thoughts being levelled during his time with Arsenal considering the success he enjoyed at the Emirates Stadium and the admiration that he earned from Arsenal fans.
After arriving from Barcelona, Sanchez scored 80 goals in 188 appearances for the Gunners before he left for Manchester United.
Intriguingly, it is not the first time that Mourinho has had his say on Sanchez.
In an interview with The Telegraph in 2019, he said: “Sanchez… I felt him [to be] not a happy man.
“And I think in every job you have when you are not happy it is not so easy to perform at every level. And maybe I am wrong. Maybe it was me who was not capable to get into him and to get the best out of him.
“As a manager sometimes you have the capacity to get the best out of the players and other times you are not successful in that approach.
“But the reality is that I always felt [of Sanchez], ‘a sad man’. So probably in Italy he will recover this. I hope he can. I always wish well to every player.”
