Mixed Emotions for Wenger, Facing Sanchez

Arsenal and Manchester United have played some memorable matches over the years, and Arsene Wenger has been at the forefront of many of them. The Frenchman is now facing an old foe for the last time ever in charge of the Gooners, and he was caught reminiscing ahead of the game.

Wenger admitted that it would be “strange” for his side to face Alexis Sanchez, a player who left The Emirates for Old Trafford in the January transfer window. The Chilean was the subject of a long-stretched bidding war and it will be the first time that he faces his former side since his departure.

According to Wenger, “Of course [it will be a little bit strange to face Alexis]. The only thing that has not changed is the colour, that’s still red. It’s strange for me to see him in a different shirt because he had a strong bond with the club and of course he was here for a few years. He did extremely well for us.”

The 29 year-old won 2 F.A Cups under Wenger’s tutelage and was one of the most important players of the squad. Since his arrival to the North West, he has scored three goals including the equalizer against Tottenham Hotspurs in the semi-final. Sanchez was also among the littany of stars who paid their tributes as Wenger decided to end his 22-year reign at the helm of the Londoners at the end of the season.

Despite drawing ire from the Arsenal fans for his mid-season departure, Wenger assures that he bears no ill-will towards his former protege. Elaborating on the same, he said,”

“At the time he did not accept our contract offer and the best possible way we could get something from his departure was to make an exchange for a player of the quality of Mkhitaryan. For him, it was a move to another big club. Overall, both parties had [the] interest to do what happened.”