Alexis Sanchez has admitted that Arsene Wenger sometimes asks him to rest but he won’t.

The Chilean is renowned for talking the boss into letting him play, even when he’s not fully fit. The forward hates sitting on the bench or watching from the stands when he could be down there on the pitch making a difference.

Recently, Alexis spoke about his passion for football and inability to take a rest.

“I always want to play and to win because football’s my passion, it’s my life,” he told Arsenal Player.

“That’s why every time we win, I’m really happy. I can’t be happy with drawing or losing a match. It actually makes me really sad when that happens.

“I also like to see my team-mates’ happy faces when we win because I know that they’re going to go out the next day and celebrate that win with their families.

“The manager sometimes says to me, ‘Have a rest’ but I don’t want to rest. I’d rather go home and do a bit of gym and exercise in my house to maintain my form.

515386308 alexis sanchez of arsenal in action during gettyimages
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 13: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal in action during the Emirates FA Cup sixth round match between Arsenal and Watford at Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“I think [my passion] started in Tocopilla because I always used to play with older people. I always wanted to be a footballer, I always wanted to play.

“I was born to be a footballer and, God willing, I will be able to continue doing that. As you know, I’m passionate about football. I like to win.

“Since I was a child I’ve always been annoyed if I didn’t win. If I lost a match I would be annoyed and then I would just want to train so that I could win the next day.”

The issue is, Alexis’ apparently inability to just chill out could actually be costing us. Of course, we can’t be sure why but despite going through a run of poor form recently, the boss refuses to sub the Chilean, often confusing and frustrating the fans.

Alexis is fantastic but when something’s not working, it needs to change, and at the moment something just isn’t clicking into place for him. Maybe he should take Wenger’s advice and have a rest.