As we reported last month, there was the very slim possibility that Alexis Sanchez could miss the FA Cup final as he was required to be on international duty.

At the time, we said it seemed highly improbable that Chile would require him to meet up with their squad on the designated date if it meant him missing the showpiece at Wembley, denying him the chance of lifting a trophy in his first season with the club and emulating Mesut Ozil.

So, it comes as no surprise to hear that he has been excused from international duty for the final with Arsene Wenger delivering the confirmation at his press conference on Friday.

“We’ve got an agreement they won’t call him up for the final,” Wenger told reporters.

It was not, however, all good news, with the forward likely to miss the start of the season due to the tournament if his country do well.

“The Copa America is not good news because they finish very late,” Wenger added. “If they go very far he will miss the start of the season.”

David Ospina and Gabriel are both likely to be called up for the tournament so we can assume Arsenal will come to a similar agreement with Colombia and Brazil.

The Copa America runs from 11th June – 4th July and the players would then need a break, robbing all three of them the chance of having pre-season with their new clubs. As it is being held in Chile we can expect the host nation to be doing their utmost to go as far as possible.

Sigh.