Alexis Sanchez has not had the best of seasons and it is safe to say his transfer from Arsenal in January 2018 was a poor career move.
Since arriving at Old Trafford, Sanchez has scored just five goals while tallying nine assists in 41 games in all competitions.
This season has been stop-start for the Chilean as he has missed large chunks due to injury. Since November when the injuries began, Sanchez has missed 17 games and 86 days of football.
On Monday, Manchester United manager claimed Sanchez is in contention for a place in the team against Barcelona for their Champions League quarterfinal second leg match on Tuesday.
The statement may cause Manchester United supporters to question why Sanchez would be included after missing the last seven matches. Even when the Chilean has played, his form has been awful.
So, why pick him now when the club is about to play its most important game of the Champions League campaign?
A fading star
Sanchez is on pace to have his worst season in terms of goals since moving to Europe in 2008.
The Chilean’s career on the continent began with Serie A side Udinese where Sanchez scored three goals in his first season of football. Since his rookie season of European football, Sanchez had never scored fewer than three goals in a term until he arrived at Old Trafford.
This year has seen even more of a regression. Sanchez has tallied a mere two goals in 23 games in all competitions.
He only played half a season for the Red Devils last term, tallying three strikes in all competitions.
Although former manager Jose Mourinho seemed to be the problem as to why Sanchez was misfiring, it now seems things go deeper than the ex-coach.
Is time catching up on Alexis Sanchez?
Sanchez is now 30-years old and he has a lot of football mileage on his body. The Chilean had stints at Udinese, Barcelona, and Arsenal before arriving at Manchester United.
According to Solskjaer, Sanchez “wants to prove a point” and that is why he could be included on Tuesday night.
But wanting to prove a point and being capable of proving a point are two different things. So far, Sanchez has proven he isn’t capable of proving a point in a Manchester United shirt.
Can Sanchez prove he is worth the wages and the trouble it was to bring him to Old Trafford? The good news is, he cannot do any worse.