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Jose Mourinho reveals first impression of Alexis Sanchez as he makes Manchester United debut

Jose Mourinho reveals first impression of Alexis Sanchez as he makes Man United debut
Alexis Sanchez was signed by Manchester United from Arsenal (Picture Reuters/Paul Childs)

Jose Mourinho admits his marquee signing, Alexis Sanchez, was ‘not in his best condition’ during his first week of training at Manchester United.

Sanchez, 28, put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year deal at Old Trafford on Monday in a swap deal with Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Sanchez played his last game for Arsenal against Chelsea on January 10 and Mourinho admitted he is not currently at his peak physically.

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Asked how the Chile playmaker has settled in at the Theatre of Dreams, Mourinho said before Friday’s FA Cup clash against Yeovil Town: ‘Good.

‘He had a couple of training sessions with us. Of course he was not in his best condition – last week he didn’t train or play [at Arsenal].’

Despite admitting there was more to come from Sanchez physically, Mourinho decided to start his new signing against League Two outfit Yeovil on Friday evening.

Jose Mourinho reveals first impression of Alexis Sanchez as he makes Man United debut
Sanchez, 28, made his debut in the FA Cup on Friday evening (Picture: Getty)
Jose Mourinho speaks
Jose Mourinho admitted Sanchez arrived at United under-cooked (Picture: Getty)

‘We think the best way [for Sanchez] to adapt to us and recover his normal fitness is to play,’ Mourinho added. ‘He loves to play, he wants to play, no doubt.

‘Let’s see. For us it’s not about Alexis it’s about the match and Yeovil. It’s about making sure the FA Cup has an incredible day, maybe tomorrow, but not tonight.’

It has been a busy week at Old Trafford with the club also confirming on Thursday that Mourinho had signed a contract extension.

Jose Mourinho reveals first impression of Alexis Sanchez as he makes Man United debut
Sanchez started against Yeovil Town (Picture: Reuters/Paul Childs)

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When asked whether his new deal showed he saw his long-term future firmly at United, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss added: ‘Yes, no doubt about it.

‘We were speaking about it for quite a time but with no pressure. The club knew I wanted to stay. It was not difficult, it was really easy.’

MORE: Ian Wright jokes he feels ‘sick’ as Alexis Sanchez makes Manchester United debut

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