Manchester United eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup as Alexis Sanchez’s debut mostly followed the script.
After losing to Bristol City in the EFL Cup earlier this month, Jose Mourinho’s side avoided a second cup shock of the season in the west country with a professional 4-0 win at Yeovil Town.
Goals from Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera either side of the break essentially killed off the tie, before Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku struck late as the League Two outfit tired.
But the centre of attention on the night was debutant Sanchez.
Demanding a hefty 11.7 fee in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Sanchez was heavily involved in Rashford’s opener and then set up Herrera’s goal in a busy, if rather rusty, display during which he fired off two attempts (one on target) and produced six key passes.
The other assists on the night came from Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo.
Speaking post-match, Mourinho lauded his new man’s ‘maturity and class’ and also talked of the main issue surrounding him.
“The question is always which one is going to be out? Where is he going to play? It’s not about that for us.”
It might not have been for the coach, but it was for the rest of us, and the answer was: wide on the left.
Sanchez started as part of an attacking three, with Juan Mata on the other flank and Rashford down the middle, and while there was an element of positional rotation among the trio, with Mata drifting inside from time to time, Sanchez stuck to his starting position almost exclusively.
Too much can be read into one cup tie against lower league opposition, however.
Mourinho fielded a strong side, but that was more a reflection of the depth of his squad as the team contained just one player – Mata – who had started last weekend’s win at Burnley.
Two others, Lukakau and Lingard, came on as subs, the latter for Sanchez after 72 minutes.
That meant we were denied an early insight into how the pair might operate together, although the 18.2% of managers who own Lingard will have been heartened by his goal after their man had blanked three times over the past four Gameweeks.
That strike provided reassurance on the midfielder’s form to perhaps slow the tide of sales which have seen Lingard installed as the second most sold player ahead of Gameweek 25. It also offered Mourinho a timely reminder of his goal-getting talents ahead of his next teamsheet.
Meanwhile, another player whose minutes will potentially be threatened by Sanchez’s arrival, Anthony Martial, was omitted from the squad.
A much clearer indication of Sanchez’s role, and how it will have an impact on his new team-mates, will arrive in Wednesday’s Gameweek 25 trip to Spurs.
Not that this has stopped some 45,000+ FPL managers finding the funds to bring the Chilean into their squads already.
That’s a big boost for a player who was only owned by 146,000 for Gameweek 24, and he’s currently just outside the top ten transfers-in for the midweek round of fixtures.
Based on last night’s evidence, he’s a few matches away from his standard speed and sharpness.
Sanchez was frequently wasteful in possession, giving the ball away 31 times, and lacked a genuine goal threat – he failed to have a single touch in Yeovil’s penalty area.
Those figures will need to improve, and they surely will as he beds in at Old Trafford, but until they do, Sanchez’s premium price tag will dissuade most of us from attempting the budget-bending moves to bring him into our sides.
On the plus side, he took United’s corners and had one direct free-kick attempt saved last night. If he continues to play a significant set-piece role, it will only boost his points potential.
United’s win means they’ll be involved in the FA Cup fifth round, which takes place across the weekend of February 17.
They’ll face an away match with Newcastle in the league beforehand and a trip to Sevilla in the Champions League followed by a Gameweek 28 visit from Chelsea afterwards.
The importance of the latter fixtures suggests Mourinho will again be making major changes to his FA Cup team, with Sanchez probably unlikely to start in that competition again any time soon.
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