By Dave Marshall
Alexis Sanchez is the United States after he was finally cleared to enter the country.
The 29-year-old was absent when United travelled stateside for pre-season as reports emerged later that he had been denied visa as he has a suspended prison sentence hanging over him. US entry policies state that a person that has conviction issued can’t be granted entry into the country.
Back in February, Sanchez had been convicted of tax fraud in his time at Barcelona by Spanish courts. Jose Mourinho had stated that Sanchez was expected to miss the entire duration of the pre-season which would have been a big blow to the manager.
Mourinho wanted Sanchez to make proper use of this summer to get to grips with what it takes to play for him as well as get in tune physically. After a 1-1 draw with Club America in our first game of pre-season, Mourinho had expressed worry about the absence of Sanchez and over players, though it seems latest news will cheer him up.
A tweet by the club’s official Twitter handle showed Sanchez in a plane heading to the United States as his entry issues are believed to have been sorted. He has joined the rest of the team and could feature from the start in our next game against the San Jose Earthquakes.
The upcoming season is very pivotal for Sanchez as it would be his first full campaign at Old Trafford.
He joined from Arsenal in January but has shown only glimpses of his undoubted quality. United will need him to be at his devastating best if we are to win a first title in 6 years come next year.
