Arsene Wenger insists the fallout from Alexis Sanchez’s failed move to Manchester City will not prevent him playing the forward when Arsenal face the Premier League leaders.
Sanchez might have been lining up in sky blue next Sunday, but a £60million switch to City fell apart when Arsenal were unable to complete a £92m deal for Thomas Lemar in the final hours of the summer transfer window.
The Chilean made no secret of his desire to move to a club that could offer him Champions League football, and Arsenal now face the prospect of either accepting a significantly lower bid from City or another interested party in January, or losing him for free at the end of the season.
So far Sanchez’s fourth season has not seen him consistently hit the heights of his first and third years at the club, with the 28-year-old having weighed in with just one goal and two assists in the League.
Saturday’s 2-1 win over Swansea was another frustrating game for Sanchez, who made swiftly for the tunnel as his team-mates celebrated a comeback win inspired by wing-back Sead Kolasinac.
But Wenger puts his star’s problems down to footballing and not mental reasons: "I have no concerns [about his attitude].
"I’m not suspicious about the performances or desire to win of a football player. When you’re a football player you have a social contract with the rest of the team.
"I never question that. Once you don’t respect that it’s difficult to say you play football.
In Pictures | Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal
"I think he’s coming back stronger physically. He runs after goals at the moment so he’s a bit frustrated when he doesn’t score, like all the goalscorers. I’m not worried about it, he works hard and that will come back quickly.
"You can never try too hard. At the moment he’s marked well, they double up on him, but he still creates many dangerous situation.
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"He needs to not worry too much. I know when you say that to the strikers they still worry but on a longer period he has always scored goals. That will come back."
Even with Sanchez in the side, Arsenal face perhaps the toughest test of their season as they travel to the Etihad for the start of a crucial run of League fixtures that also sees them face Tottenham and Manchester United before December 2.
Defeat to City, the last unbeaten side in England’s top four divisions, would leave Arsenal 12 points behind Pep Guardiola’s league leaders, who have dropped only two in the first 10 games of the season.
"It’s a big game, a challenging one because they are on a strong run," Wenger conceded. "But it’s a good opportunity for us to show we have quality.
"At the moment they’re on a good run and people always extend these runs to the end of the season.
"They have to be stopped it’s true, because if nobody does that they can run away. We still can focus on this game and try to give our best, prepare well and focus."