Sanchez fitness decision on hold: Wenger
Nov 17, 2016 - 11:15 PM Arsene Wenger plans to watch the video of Alexis Sanchez's match-winning exploits for Chile as he judges whether to start the forward against Manchester United.Sanchez scored twice for his country as they saw off Uruguay 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier, despite carrying a hamstring injury going into the game.
Wenger warned ahead of the game that it could be a "suicidal decision" for Sanchez to play given he was struggling with the problem he had picked up earlier in the international break.
But the 27-year-old started and played 84 minutes and will not return to Arsenal's London Colney training base until Friday.
With the Gunners kicking off at Old Trafford in Saturday's early match, Sanchez faces a race against time to prove his fitness - with Wenger keen to observe the former Barcelona man in action for Chile before making the call.
"I have watched the goals and he looked very sharp," he said.
"I will watch the game. I know him so well, like all my players that I observe every day, so I will be able to see if he was playing with a restriction or not.
"But the first goal he scored he ran from the halfway line and resists - if you are really injured with a hamstring you cannot do that."
Sanchez has a history for wanting to play through any pain barriers as Wenger found out to his cost almost 12 months ago.
After scoring a brace in a Champions League win over Dynamo Zagreb, the Frenchman confirmed Sanchez had a hamstring problem - but he still opted to play him in the next Premier League outing at Norwich.
There, he lasted an hour before being forced off and he would miss almost two months as Arsenal fell out of the title picture.
Wenger has said he will ask the player for an honest assessment of the injury as he looks to pick up his first-ever Premier League win over Jose Mourinho and move to the top of the league table.
Asked if Sanchez's self-diagnosis can be trusted, Wenger replied: "He is always OK! It is a very difficult one because I am sure he will come back saying he is all right."
Source: AAP
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