This is Manchester United # 133 - Towards new challenges in 2018 - Page 16

KeeHuat · 23-01-2018, 04:14 AM

Alexis: The story so far

Even from a young age, Alexis Sanchez’s supreme natural talent and ability to become a global superstar was evident.

He was only 16 years old in February 2005 when he made his first-team debut for Cobreloa, a club based in the north of his native Chile, near to the biggest open copper mine in the world, Chuquicamata.

The manager who gave him that breakthrough, Nelson Acosta, recalled in an interview with The Telegraph in 2011: "Normally in young boys, there is something missing, be it skill, or vision, or the ability to beat a man. Not in Alexis. That is very rare."

Alexis inevitably caught the eye of European scouts and he was signed by Udinese in April 2006, although the Italian club immediately loaned him to another club in Chile, Colo Colo, and followed that with another temporary move to River Plate in Argentina. After winning league titles with both South American teams, he relocated to Italy and became an integral member of Udinese's squad for three seasons.

After netting 21 goals in 112 appearances and catching the eye with a series of dazzling displays for the Serie A side, Barcelona came calling in the summer of 2011 as Alexis became the first Chilean to play for the Catalan giants.

In his first season at the Nou Camp, Sanchez formed part of a devastating attacking trio with Lionel Messi and David Villa while helping the club win the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup under Pep Guardiola.

He also played a prominent part in their La Liga triumph in 2012/13, chipping in with 11 goals in all competitions, before contributing the highest tally during his stay in Spain the following season by notching 21 times and registering 14 assists.

After Brazilian forward Neymar established himself as a regular starter in 2013/14, Alexis accepted the challenge to test himself in the Premier League by joining Arsenal for a fee in the region of £30million.

It didn’t take the versatile forward long to find his feet in North London, claiming his first silverware in England on his competitive debut in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Manchester City in the 2014 Community Shield at Wembley.

An impressive first season in the capital saw Alexis earn admirers far and wide, securing a place in the PFA Team of the Year, as well as Arsenal’s Player of the Year award. He also reached the outstanding tally of 25 goals in all competitions by scoring in the club’s 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup final.

Despite missing a period through injury, Alexis still managed to score 17 times in 2015/16 before enjoying his best season in an Arsenal shirt last term, which ultimately demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the world’s most exciting forwards.

He provided plenty of stand-out moments during a phenomenal season on a personal level, in which he was nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award and unsurprisingly took home Arsenal’s Player of the Season prize.

Often spearheading the attack, Alexis ended the campaign with his best-ever return of goals after hitting 30 in a single season for the first time in his career, as well as recording 17 assists, in all competitions.

He also once again proved he is a man for the big occasion after playing a starring role in another FA Cup triumph for the Gunners, scoring an extra-time winner against Manchester City in the semi-finals before netting Arsenal’s fastest FA Cup final goal when opening the scoring after just 229 seconds in their eventual 2-1 victory over Chelsea.

Alexis has not only shown his world-class ability in club football but on the international stage too. After earning his first cap in April 2006, aged just 17, he established himself as a key figure for Chile. Highlights include starring in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and winning the Copa America twice, scoring the decisive spotkick in the 2015 penalty shoot-out win against Argentina.

He is his country’s joint most-capped player with 115 caps alongside Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and their all-time leading scorer with an impressive 38 goals to his name, but it will be disappointing that his talents won’t be on show at this summer’s World Cup in Russia after Chile’s failure to qualify for the tournament.

After picking up an injury in last summer’s Confederations Cup, Alexis started the current 2017/18 campaign on the sidelines but worked his way back to full fitness and has once again led by example, continuing his fine goalscoring form with eight goals before Christmas.

Following intense speculation about his future, United beat off stiff competition to secure the forward’s services on 22 January.

His creativity and technical prowess, coupled with his ability to play anywhere across the front line, makes him a potent weapon and gives Jose Mourinho another dimension to his impressive array of attacking options. Eligible to play in the FA Cup and Champions League, as well as the Premier League, he will be hoping to add more silverware and swiftly settle into life at Old Trafford in the second half of 2017/18.

KeeHuat · 23-01-2018, 05:05 AM

Sanchez paid tribute to his time at Arsenal but is proud to become the first Chilean to play for the Red Devils.

Speaking about his transfer, Sanchez said: “I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world.

“I have spent three-and-a-half wonderful years at Arsenal and I bring with me very positive memories of that great club and its fans.

“The chance to play in this historic stadium and to work with Jose Mourinho was something I could not turn down.

“I am very proud to be the first Chilean player ever to play for United’s first team and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here.”

KeeHuat · 23-01-2018, 05:43 AM

Alexis Sanchez's first interview at United

After putting pen to paper on his Manchester United contract, new no.7 Alexis Sanchez spoke exclusively to MUTV's Stewart Gardner about his "dream" transfer to Old Trafford...

Alexis, welcome! How does it feel to call yourself a Manchester United player?
Since I was a young lad I’ve always said that my dream was to play for Manchester United, and I’m not just saying that because I’m here now and today it’s come true.
I always said as a kid that I’d like to play for United and I once spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson about it. We chatted for around 20 minutes.
And I told him that my dream was to come here to Manchester United. It really is a massive club, very powerful, and so now, when I got the opportunity to come here,
I looked at the badge and my hairs just stood up on end because it’s a powerful club and the biggest in England.

lenghan · 23-01-2018, 11:00 AM

With AS's arrival the player most worried has to be MR who had been playing pretty below par for the last few games.
Nevertheless am anxious to see how JM plays the forward line now. AS should profit from RL's ability to shield and hold the ball, AM's performance the last few games should still earn him the starting line-up and we could see MR playing time being limited

wonderboy · 23-01-2018, 11:48 AM

Not sure about the rest of the guys here... Am I the only one who doesn't like this transfer?

SabaDen92 · 23-01-2018, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonderboy

Not sure about the rest of the guys here... Am I the only one who doesn't like this transfer?

The player or what was involved?

I don't hate the player but I just don't like the $$ and we losing a player who because of the playing system, can't perform well enough. Hopefully it's worth it ...

KeeHuat · 23-01-2018, 01:52 PM

Manchester United pip Real Madrid to retain top spot in Deloitte's 'Money League' report after making £581m during the 2016-17 campaign

Manchester United have retained their position as world football's top earners, according to the latest annual 'Money League' report by accountancy firm Deloitte.

United made £581million during the 2016-17 season, pipping Real Madrid to the top spot by just £1.5million, the closest margin in the rich list's 21 years.

It is the 10th time the Old Trafford club have topped the Deloitte list, with their Europa League success being crucial to holding off Real, whose 12th Champions League win helped them swap places with Spanish rivals Barcelona.

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich held onto fourth spot and Manchester City stayed in fifth place with revenues of £454million. Arsenal climbed to sixth, swapping places with Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus keep their places to round out the top 10.

In a statement, Deloitte Sports Business Group partner Dan Jones said: 'United's ability to retain first position is all the more impressive against the backdrop of the weakened pound against the euro.

'With both Real Madrid and Barcelona forecasting further revenue growth in 2017-18, the battle at the top will likely come down to on-pitch performance again next year.

'With all three clubs through to the round of 16 of the Champions League, it may be as simple as the club that goes furthest in the competition will have the best chance of topping the Money League next year.

United's Europa League campaign was worth £39million, a testament to both the size of the British market for televised football and UEFA's efforts to raise the profile of the competition.

Unlike some studies of football's finances, Deloitte excludes revenues from player-trading but its numbers confirm several recent reports by other organisations, most notably last week's report on European club football by UEFA. It also underlines the growing financial clout of the Premier League.

DELOITTE'S FOOTBALL MONEY LEAGUE FOR 2016-17 Position (Last year's position)
Club 2016-17 Revenue (m) 2016-17 Revenue
(2015-16 Revenue) (£m) (2015-16 Revenue)

1 (1) Manchester United 676.3 (689) 581.2 (515.3)
2 (3) Real Madrid 674.6 (620.1) 579.7 (463.8)
3 (2) Barcelona 648.3 (620.2) 557.1 (463.8)
4 (4) Bayern Munich 587.8 (592) 505.1 (442.7)
5 (5) Manchester City 527.7 (524.9) 453.5 (392.6)
6 (7) Arsenal 487.6 (468.5) 419 (350.4)
7 (6) Paris Saint-Germain 486.2 (520.9) 417.8 (389.6)
8 (8) Chelsea 428 (447.4) 367.8 (334.6)
9 (9) Liverpool 424.2 (403.8) 364.5 (302)
10 (10) Juventus 405.7 (338.9) 348.6 (253.5)
11 (12) Tottenham Hotspur 355.6 (279.7) 305.6 (209.2)
12 (11) Borussia Dortmund 332.6 (283.9) 285.8 (212.3)
13 (13) Atletico Madrid 272.5 (228.6) 234.2 (171)
14 (20) Leicester City 271.1 (172.1) 233 (128.7)
15 (19) Inter Milan 262.1 (179.2) 225.2 (134)
16 (14) Schalke 230.2 (224.5) 197.8 (167.9)
17 (18) West Ham 213.3 (192.3) 183.3 (143.8)
18 (n/a) Southampton 212.1 (166.2) 182.3 (124.3)
19 (n/a) Napoli 200.7 (144.2) 172.5 (107.8)
20 (n/a) Everton 199.2 (162.5) 171.2 (121.5)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz54ypHaxkU
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

SabaDen92 · 23-01-2018, 03:41 PM

Henrikh Mkhitaryan-heartfelt message to Manchester United fans

"I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Manchester United players and staff and especially the fans for your love, passion and support," he wrote on Instagram.

"I enjoyed having the honour of contributing to the history of your great club by winning the Europa League cup.

"I will always cherish the memory of that moment and that match.

"And of my Boxing Day scorpion kick and of hearing the song “Whoa Mkhitaryan...” every time I stepped onto the pitch.

"I could name many more memories, I enjoyed every moment we shared and cheered together.

"At this stage of my career, I simply have to enjoy myself on the pitch and play.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart and the best of luck to all of you! Life goes on."

-Henrikh Mkhitaryan

____________________________

Thanks Mhki for the good memories and best of luck except against us ...

loveikan · 23-01-2018, 04:15 PM

At 29, still got a few good yrs left in AS.
Hope MR and AM can stay and learn from him too.

Shadow7 · 23-01-2018, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loveikan

At 29, still got a few good yrs left in AS.
Hope MR and AM can stay and learn from him too.

Yea think we need to tie them down to longer term contracts.

23-01-2018, 04:14 AM	#151
KeeHuat Dragon Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,357	Alexis: The story so far Even from a young age, Alexis Sanchez’s supreme natural talent and ability to become a global superstar was evident. He was only 16 years old in February 2005 when he made his first-team debut for Cobreloa, a club based in the north of his native Chile, near to the biggest open copper mine in the world, Chuquicamata. The manager who gave him that breakthrough, Nelson Acosta, recalled in an interview with The Telegraph in 2011: "Normally in young boys, there is something missing, be it skill, or vision, or the ability to beat a man. Not in Alexis. That is very rare." Alexis inevitably caught the eye of European scouts and he was signed by Udinese in April 2006, although the Italian club immediately loaned him to another club in Chile, Colo Colo, and followed that with another temporary move to River Plate in Argentina. After winning league titles with both South American teams, he relocated to Italy and became an integral member of Udinese's squad for three seasons. After netting 21 goals in 112 appearances and catching the eye with a series of dazzling displays for the Serie A side, Barcelona came calling in the summer of 2011 as Alexis became the first Chilean to play for the Catalan giants. In his first season at the Nou Camp, Sanchez formed part of a devastating attacking trio with Lionel Messi and David Villa while helping the club win the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup under Pep Guardiola. He also played a prominent part in their La Liga triumph in 2012/13, chipping in with 11 goals in all competitions, before contributing the highest tally during his stay in Spain the following season by notching 21 times and registering 14 assists. After Brazilian forward Neymar established himself as a regular starter in 2013/14, Alexis accepted the challenge to test himself in the Premier League by joining Arsenal for a fee in the region of £30million. It didn’t take the versatile forward long to find his feet in North London, claiming his first silverware in England on his competitive debut in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Manchester City in the 2014 Community Shield at Wembley. An impressive first season in the capital saw Alexis earn admirers far and wide, securing a place in the PFA Team of the Year, as well as Arsenal’s Player of the Year award. He also reached the outstanding tally of 25 goals in all competitions by scoring in the club’s 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup final. Despite missing a period through injury, Alexis still managed to score 17 times in 2015/16 before enjoying his best season in an Arsenal shirt last term, which ultimately demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the world’s most exciting forwards. He provided plenty of stand-out moments during a phenomenal season on a personal level, in which he was nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award and unsurprisingly took home Arsenal’s Player of the Season prize. Often spearheading the attack, Alexis ended the campaign with his best-ever return of goals after hitting 30 in a single season for the first time in his career, as well as recording 17 assists, in all competitions. He also once again proved he is a man for the big occasion after playing a starring role in another FA Cup triumph for the Gunners, scoring an extra-time winner against Manchester City in the semi-finals before netting Arsenal’s fastest FA Cup final goal when opening the scoring after just 229 seconds in their eventual 2-1 victory over Chelsea. Alexis has not only shown his world-class ability in club football but on the international stage too. After earning his first cap in April 2006, aged just 17, he established himself as a key figure for Chile. Highlights include starring in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and winning the Copa America twice, scoring the decisive spotkick in the 2015 penalty shoot-out win against Argentina. He is his country’s joint most-capped player with 115 caps alongside Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and their all-time leading scorer with an impressive 38 goals to his name, but it will be disappointing that his talents won’t be on show at this summer’s World Cup in Russia after Chile’s failure to qualify for the tournament. After picking up an injury in last summer’s Confederations Cup, Alexis started the current 2017/18 campaign on the sidelines but worked his way back to full fitness and has once again led by example, continuing his fine goalscoring form with eight goals before Christmas. Following intense speculation about his future, United beat off stiff competition to secure the forward’s services on 22 January. His creativity and technical prowess, coupled with his ability to play anywhere across the front line, makes him a potent weapon and gives Jose Mourinho another dimension to his impressive array of attacking options. Eligible to play in the FA Cup and Champions League, as well as the Premier League, he will be hoping to add more silverware and swiftly settle into life at Old Trafford in the second half of 2017/18.

23-01-2018, 05:05 AM	#152
KeeHuat Dragon Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,357	Sanchez paid tribute to his time at Arsenal but is proud to become the first Chilean to play for the Red Devils. Speaking about his transfer, Sanchez said: “I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world. “I have spent three-and-a-half wonderful years at Arsenal and I bring with me very positive memories of that great club and its fans. “The chance to play in this historic stadium and to work with Jose Mourinho was something I could not turn down. “I am very proud to be the first Chilean player ever to play for United’s first team and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here.”

23-01-2018, 05:43 AM	#153
KeeHuat Dragon Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,357	Alexis Sanchez's first interview at United After putting pen to paper on his Manchester United contract, new no.7 Alexis Sanchez spoke exclusively to MUTV's Stewart Gardner about his "dream" transfer to Old Trafford... Alexis, welcome! How does it feel to call yourself a Manchester United player? Since I was a young lad I’ve always said that my dream was to play for Manchester United, and I’m not just saying that because I’m here now and today it’s come true. I always said as a kid that I’d like to play for United and I once spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson about it. We chatted for around 20 minutes. And I told him that my dream was to come here to Manchester United. It really is a massive club, very powerful, and so now, when I got the opportunity to come here, I looked at the badge and my hairs just stood up on end because it’s a powerful club and the biggest in England.

23-01-2018, 11:00 AM	#154
lenghan Arofanatic Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 71	With AS's arrival the player most worried has to be MR who had been playing pretty below par for the last few games. Nevertheless am anxious to see how JM plays the forward line now. AS should profit from RL's ability to shield and hold the ball, AM's performance the last few games should still earn him the starting line-up and we could see MR playing time being limited

23-01-2018, 11:48 AM	#155
wonderboy Dragon Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 2,144	Not sure about the rest of the guys here... Am I the only one who doesn't like this transfer?

23-01-2018, 01:52 PM	#157
KeeHuat Dragon Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,357	Manchester United pip Real Madrid to retain top spot in Deloitte's 'Money League' report after making £581m during the 2016-17 campaign Manchester United have retained their position as world football's top earners, according to the latest annual 'Money League' report by accountancy firm Deloitte. United made £581million during the 2016-17 season, pipping Real Madrid to the top spot by just £1.5million, the closest margin in the rich list's 21 years. It is the 10th time the Old Trafford club have topped the Deloitte list, with their Europa League success being crucial to holding off Real, whose 12th Champions League win helped them swap places with Spanish rivals Barcelona. Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich held onto fourth spot and Manchester City stayed in fifth place with revenues of £454million. Arsenal climbed to sixth, swapping places with Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus keep their places to round out the top 10. In a statement, Deloitte Sports Business Group partner Dan Jones said: 'United's ability to retain first position is all the more impressive against the backdrop of the weakened pound against the euro. 'With both Real Madrid and Barcelona forecasting further revenue growth in 2017-18, the battle at the top will likely come down to on-pitch performance again next year. 'With all three clubs through to the round of 16 of the Champions League, it may be as simple as the club that goes furthest in the competition will have the best chance of topping the Money League next year. United's Europa League campaign was worth £39million, a testament to both the size of the British market for televised football and UEFA's efforts to raise the profile of the competition. Unlike some studies of football's finances, Deloitte excludes revenues from player-trading but its numbers confirm several recent reports by other organisations, most notably last week's report on European club football by UEFA. It also underlines the growing financial clout of the Premier League. DELOITTE'S FOOTBALL MONEY LEAGUE FOR 2016-17 Position (Last year's position) Club 2016-17 Revenue (m) 2016-17 Revenue (2015-16 Revenue) (£m) (2015-16 Revenue) 1 (1) Manchester United 676.3 (689) 581.2 (515.3) 2 (3) Real Madrid 674.6 (620.1) 579.7 (463.8) 3 (2) Barcelona 648.3 (620.2) 557.1 (463.8) 4 (4) Bayern Munich 587.8 (592) 505.1 (442.7) 5 (5) Manchester City 527.7 (524.9) 453.5 (392.6) 6 (7) Arsenal 487.6 (468.5) 419 (350.4) 7 (6) Paris Saint-Germain 486.2 (520.9) 417.8 (389.6) 8 (8) Chelsea 428 (447.4) 367.8 (334.6) 9 (9) Liverpool 424.2 (403.8) 364.5 (302) 10 (10) Juventus 405.7 (338.9) 348.6 (253.5) 11 (12) Tottenham Hotspur 355.6 (279.7) 305.6 (209.2) 12 (11) Borussia Dortmund 332.6 (283.9) 285.8 (212.3) 13 (13) Atletico Madrid 272.5 (228.6) 234.2 (171) 14 (20) Leicester City 271.1 (172.1) 233 (128.7) 15 (19) Inter Milan 262.1 (179.2) 225.2 (134) 16 (14) Schalke 230.2 (224.5) 197.8 (167.9) 17 (18) West Ham 213.3 (192.3) 183.3 (143.8) 18 (n/a) Southampton 212.1 (166.2) 182.3 (124.3) 19 (n/a) Napoli 200.7 (144.2) 172.5 (107.8) 20 (n/a) Everton 199.2 (162.5) 171.2 (121.5) Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz54ypHaxkU Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter \| DailyMail on Facebook

23-01-2018, 03:41 PM	#158
SabaDen92 Endangered Dragon Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 14,405	Henrikh Mkhitaryan-heartfelt message to Manchester United fans "I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Manchester United players and staff and especially the fans for your love, passion and support," he wrote on Instagram. "I enjoyed having the honour of contributing to the history of your great club by winning the Europa League cup. "I will always cherish the memory of that moment and that match. "And of my Boxing Day scorpion kick and of hearing the song “Whoa Mkhitaryan...” every time I stepped onto the pitch. "I could name many more memories, I enjoyed every moment we shared and cheered together. "At this stage of my career, I simply have to enjoy myself on the pitch and play. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart and the best of luck to all of you! Life goes on." -Henrikh Mkhitaryan ____________________________ Thanks Mhki for the good memories and best of luck except against us ...

23-01-2018, 04:15 PM	#159
loveikan Arofanatic Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 384	At 29, still got a few good yrs left in AS. Hope MR and AM can stay and learn from him too.

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