Alexis Sanchez caused a massive stir when he made the switch from Arsenal to Manchester United in January 2018.

The Chilean ace, having moved to Arsenal from Barcelona in 2014, scored 60 goals in 122 Premier League games for the North London giants. But he ended up being part of a swap deal that saw misfiring midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan head the other way.

Given United had bagged a winger who had been consistently hitting the back of the net for three and a half years, it seemed they had the upper hand in the deal. Sanchez's transfer fee was £35million - what appeared to be a relatively small price to pay for such a prolific goal scorer.

"I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world," Sanchez expressed on United's official website after sealing his move to Old Trafford. "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 and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here," reports the Manchester Evening News.

Yet after just two and a half years, one loan spell and 45 appearances, Sanchez's time at Manchester United came to a disappointing end when he was allowed to join Inter Milan on a free transfer in August 2020. His stint at Old Trafford was a disaster, with his most notable moment being the equalising goal he scored in the 2018 FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

In total, he managed to score a meagre five goals for the club, three of which were netted before his first and only full season in United colours. He made just 27 appearances in that campaign (2018/19) and struggled to secure a starting position under both Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Prior to his move to United, Sanchez had been a target for Manchester City, but they withdrew from a deal due to his wage demands. This left United with a clear path to sign him.

However, despite his initial enthusiasm about joining United, it seems Sanchez was not overly thrilled with the move. In fact, he wanted to leave after his very first training session at Carrington.

The now 35 year old Chilean revealed a month after leaving the Reds that he had begged his agent to arrange a return to Arsenal for him. The now Inter Milan star confessed: "I accepted the opportunity to go to United, it felt tempting and it was something good for me, I liked this club a lot when I was a kid. Eventually I signed but I didn't ask for information on what was happening inside the club."

Speaking back in September 2020, he added: "Sometimes there are things that you don't realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things. After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent, 'Can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal?'

"They laughed, I told them there's something that doesn't sit right, it doesn't seem good. But I already signed, I was already there. After the first few months I carried on having the same feeling, we weren't united as a team in that moment."

When Sanchez joined Old Trafford, the Red Devils were enjoying a winning streak of four matches and hadn't tasted defeat in seven, meaning he could have walked into a buoyant and high-spirited setup. Instead, his comments suggest he landed in a divided and damaged locker room that lacked unity.

After joining midway through the 2017/18 season, Sanchez played 18 matches aiding United to secure second place in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup final. However, they fell to Chelsea at Wembley, yielding to an Eden Hazard penalty in the first half.

Just over a month into the 2018/19 season, Alexis Sanchez got the shock of his life when he was dropped from United's squad for their clash with West Ham. Mourinho's decision sent shockwaves through Old Trafford and hit Sanchez hard.

"In a game with West Ham I wasn't picked," he revealed. "That had never happened to me as a player. It bothered me and I said it couldn't be possible."

"To go from being one of the best in the Premier League to not playing in five months. I came to my house and I was very sad. The next day I trained in a double shift because I love what I do."

Sanchez's high-profile move from Arsenal to United turned out to be a spectacular flop, marking one of the most disappointing transfers in the league's history. Meanwhile, Arsenal managed to squeeze out a slightly better deal with nine goals and 13 assists from Mkhitaryan, edging ahead in the swap saga.

Now team-mates at Inter, both Mkhitaryan and Sanchez have left United fans with little more than bitter memories of what could have been.