Arsène Wenger has warned Arsenal fans not to expect Alexis Sanchez to be at his 2016/17 levels immediately after he returns to the side.
Alexis was one of the Gunners’ star players last season and pretty much the only player that the team could rely on to score goals on a regular basis.
But Wenger was quick to point out how long the 28-year-old has been away for, telling reporters via the Mirror: “He has not played now for six weeks, it’s difficult in the first game to be at your best.”
The Chilean’s history with the Gunners suggests that he doesn’t normally take too long to get back into the swing of things.
Alexis Sanchez never stops training… pic.twitter.com/ifo5YNF88C
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) August 21, 2017
After missing a couple of months of the 2015/16 season with a bad hamstring injury, Alexis didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet in his first half-hour sub appearance.
However, when he was given his first start after the injury, he scored and assisted in Arsenal’s 2-1 FA Cup win over Burnley.
If he was given a start against Liverpool at the weekend and did the same, fans would be over the moon. But Wenger is right to urge caution about expecting too much too quickly.
In this case especially, it’s not just an injury that has affected Alexis’ chances of starting, it’s also the extended holiday he received after the Confederations Cup.
We’ll have to wait and see how quickly he can be sharp again.